Trade deadlines under Jim Benning have been a source of disappointment for Canucks fans, with 2017 the one exception. That was the year Benning traded Jannik Hansen for Nikolay Goldobin and Alex Burrows for prospect Jonathan Dahlen, and those moves weren't even made on trade deadline day.
Those two moves were widely praised, biting the bullet to send two fan-favourite players at the tail end of their careers and acquiring two young wingers with top-six upside. So, it's somewhat ironic that trade rumours are swirling around both of the wingers they aquired.
Goldobin has been the target of Travis Green's "honest love" approach to development, while Dahlen hasn't produced as much in the AHL as the Canucks might have hoped. There have been suggestions for over a month that the Canucks have looked to move Goldobin, while TSN 1040's Matt Sekeres reported this week that the Canucks have shopped Dahlen.
The Canucks can't really afford to move wingers with top-six upside as it's one of their areas of biggest need. The only way it would make sense is if they could add a young defenceman with top-four potential, and I'm not sure that Goldobin and/or Dahlen would be enough to make that happen.
Of course, rumours have a tendency to fizzle out at the trade deadline. Maybe the Canucks haven't shopped Dahlen at all or the work that Goldobin has put in lately is enough to get him back in the good books and make him part of the future for the Canucks once again.
In their current position — six points out of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, with three teams in between them and a playoff position — the Canucks shouldn't be looking to move youth at the deadline, but sell on a few of their veteran players. Alex Edler is likely a non-starter due to his No-Trade clause and injuries have likely made it more difficult to move Chris Tanev or Brandon Sutter, but the Canucks might be able to extract some value from the likes of Markus Granlund, Tim Schaller, Erik Gudbranson, and Derrick Pouliot. That may not be the most exciting list of names, but maybe there are a couple deals out there that would add a draft pick or two.
The Canucks have already made some trades around the fringes of the lineup this season, moving Michael Del Zotto, Anders Nilsson, and Sam Gagner. Now we'll see if Benning has any willingness to move a player with a larger role on the roster.
The comment section is open below for discussion of both Canucks trades and other trades around the NHL! Sort by "Newest" and let's have some fun.
