Photo credit: Bob Frid – Imagn Images.
An NHL insider says that the Vancouver Canucks have re-opened contract talks with pending unrestricted free agent forward Kiefer Sherwood as trade rumors swirl.
In recent weeks, the rumor mill around the National Hockey League has begun to heat up and one of the top names available on the market is Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood, who currently leads the the team in goals with 17 in 41 games.
The asking price for Kiefer Sherwood is steep however, with Patrik Allvin and the Canucks’ management group hoping to get at least a first round pick and potentially another asset for the winger.
Despite the high asking price, teams haven’t shied away, with upwards of a ten to 12 clubs remaining in the mix for Kiefer Sherwood as we enter 2026 and while a trade is the most likely outcome here, it appears that the Vancouver Canucks are making one last attempt to keep him around.
Vancouver Canucks reportedly reengage in contract talks with Kiefer Sherwood
“Last night, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they had re-signed Linus Karlsson to a two-year deal. The big name everybody in Vancouver is kind of talking about right now is Kiefer Sherwood, unrestricted free agent having a career year. The Canucks did make a new offer to Sherwood this week. I still think there’s a sizable gap here. I don’t have a timeline for when anything is going to occur in terms of a trade or anything like that, but both sides did talk this week. I still think, however, there’s a gap in where Sherwood would like to be and what the Canucks are willing to do. So let’s see where it takes us.” Friedman said.
Sherwood has been a great addition to the Vancouver Canucks’ lineup since arriving in the Lower Mainland in the summer of 2024, but with the organization wanting to get younger amid their plans for a “hybrid retool”, re-signing the Columbus, Ohio native wouldn’t make a ton of sense, especially when considering the assets they could receive in return for him in a trade leading up to March 6th.
In 119 games with the Vancouver Canucks, Sherwood has 61 points (36 goals, 25 assists), 55 penalty minutes, 660 hits and is a minus-seven while averaging 15:47 of ice time per night.
Kiefer Sherwood is exactly the type of player that teams need in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is why we’ve seen a ton of interest in him thus far, and for that reason alone, the odds of him being traded before the deadline are much higher than him sticking around in Vancouver & signing a contract extension.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily