The Vancouver Canucks are slated to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 10 in their 41st game of the season. Halfway through the season, the club is in the midst of yet another disappointing campaign. They sit 25th in the league standings with a 17-19-3 record.
With the Canucks’ ability to make a run at any point during the season, thanks to the amount of talent they have up front, the club may cost themselves a top pick in the 2023 Draft. In 2021-22, the organization was able to string together wins throughout the second half of the season but missed the playoffs and landed the 15th overall pick. Some of those players that played a part in the team’s success are top trade chips for the Canucks. Therefore, the organization needs to start selling those pieces soon before they go on a run in the second half and cost themselves a chance at drafting in the top 5 in this year’s draft.
Canucks Can’t Be in the Middle of the Pack
Last season, the Canucks finished in the middle of the pack, which isn’t the best place to end. The team missed the playoffs and landed a draft pick outside of the top 10. Not only did the organization miss out on an opportunity to add a top-10 talent to their poor prospect pool, but they also had a lower chance of landing a top-3 pick through the draft lottery.
Related: Canucks’ Potential Trade Pieces for Lafreniere
Fast forward to the 2022-23 season, and the Canucks are eight points out of the second wild-card spot and five points out of the bottom five in the league standings. The team is talented but not good enough to be a cup contender if they even make it to the postseason. Therefore, offloading some of their productive players as soon as possible will put the team in a better spot for future success.
Offloading Top Players
The Canucks have multiple trade pieces that will allow them to not only acquire assets in return but help make the team a little worse. The biggest trade chip is captain Bo Horvat, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Due to J.T. Miller’s seven-year, $56 million extension, Horvat is on his way out. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently noted the two sides will talk once more, but it is extremely unlikely Horvat will sign an extension with the club.
Trading Horvat soon is important as it’ll allow the Canucks to add a few assets, and he’s a big reason…
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