The NHL season is ramping up, as we are less than four weeks away from the start of training camp. With this, the Vancouver Canucks front office had to make a difficult decision to send Vasily Podkolzin to a division rival. One week ago today, the club sent their 2019 first-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the Ottawa Senators fourth-round in the 2025 draft.
Many were left puzzled at the trade at the time, but when Rick Dhaliwal and Thomas Drance dropped their latest collaborative piece on The Athletic, there were finally some confirmed answers.
“The decision to move Vasily Podkolzin wasn’t straightforward, but given that the club invested heavily in wing depth this summer, club leadership felt that it would be tough for Podkolzin to make the team out of training camp.”
“He’s also now eligible for waivers, and the club knew that he wouldn’t clear if he didn’t land a job among Vancouver’s top 13 forwards at camp. The decision was made to move him now for a fourth-round pick, as opposed to risking losing him on waivers or accepting the sort of low-ball offer from a club intent on jumping the waiver queue closer to Canadian Thanksgiving.”
Now it’s clear the team did not see an outcome where Podkolzin would have made the 2024-2025 roster, given the winger additions made this offseason. So why not try to recoup an asset in return instead of losing him for nothing?
Later in the article, they touched on the return and provided interesting information on what’s going on behind the scenes.
“No longtime observer of this hockey club will be shocked to hear that the fourth-round pick — originally belonging to the Ottawa Senators — that the Canucks got back in the Podkolzin trade is already burning a hole in the pocket of Canucks hockey operations leadership. It’s ammunition, an asset that’s already been pretty explicitly marked as something that the club will look to use to improve during this season.”
Interesting to hear that the fourth-round pick is already burning a hole in the pocket of Canucks upper management. But it’s also not shocking.
The club received a massive blow earlier this week when they learned that Thatcher Demko has no timetable for his return and that this injury is starting to threaten his availability for the upcoming season. Dhaliwal later reported that the club had interest in free agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen.
However, Dhaliwal had his doubts about the likelihood of the Canucks actually getting this across the finish line. So, if the Canucks can’t land a deal with Lankinen, and having shown no interest in other free agent goaltenders – Martin Jones, Anti Raanta, and Alex Stalock – could they trade their recently acquired fourth-round pick become available for a goaltender?
Well, let’s look at who could potentially be out there.
First, what do we know? We know they’re in the market for a veteran backup option. So that eliminates all the younger tradeable options.
Second, we know the club would prefer not to put Tucker Poolman’s contract for long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Well, according to Puck Pedia, the Canucks have $190,833 of available cap space without Poolman’s money on LTIR. So if they’re as desperate as they seemingly are for a goaltender, unfortunately, that doesn’t look like a plausible option.
Looking around the National Hockey League, there were a few goaltending options who are making near the league minimum on a team with a crowded goalie room.
Phoenix Copley
The Los Angeles Kings recently acquired Darcy Kuemper, re-signed David Rittch, and signed Erik Portillo to an entry-level contract. To start last season, Copley was Cam Talbot’s backup. However, Copley struggled out of the gate with a 3.16 goals against average (GAA) and a .870 save percentage (S%), only to later suffer a season-ending ACL injury.
Rittich played well in relief of Copley, finishing the year with a 13-6-3 record, a 2.15 GAA and a .921 S%. With the Kings bringing back Rittich and Kuemper assuming the starter role, Copley drops to third fiddle.
Copley matches what Vancouver has their sights on for a backup option. The 32-year-old is making $825,000 for one more season. Copley would provide a reliable safety net for the Canucks as he works his way back from his ACL injury, and Silovs gets more acclimated in the NHL’s regular season.
Alex Lyon
The Detroit Red Wings’ goalie room is very crowded. The Wings brought in Cam Talbot on a handsome two-year $5 million contract to play alongside projected starter Ville Husso. Not just Talbot, but Detroit also signed Jeff Campbell to a one-year $775,000 contract.
With these additions, Lyon is slated to play third-string for next season, and that’s a little disrespectful after how well he performed when the Red Wings needed him most. The Minnesota native started 43 games for Detroit last season, finishing with a 21-18-5 record, a 3.05 GAA and a .904 S%.
Lyon fits the bill for what the Canucks are looking for, price and age-wise. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his contract, paying him $975,000 per season.
A trade like this would make sense for Detroit as they’ve already got a 1A/1B situation with Husso and Talbot – and are paying them as such – with Campbell in the AHL, who could suffice as a backup option if they get hit with the injury bug.
James Reimer
The Buffalo Sabres have a decision to make. They’ve recently extended starting goalie Ukk0-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year $23.75 million contract and brought in James Reimer as the presumed backup. However, they also have a young Devon Levi who’s chomping at the bit to make the jump to the NHL.
And what happens to Reimer if Levi is ready to make that jump? Surely he didn’t sign there to sit in the press box. The journeyman goaltender suited up for 25 games with the Red Wings last season, finishing with an 11-8-2 record, a 3.11 GAA and a .904 S%. Reimer came up clutch for Detroit, winning five of his last six starts as they pushed for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
At the ripe age of 36, Reimer would be suitable for what the Canucks are wanting. Reimer signed a one-year deal worth $1 million this offseason. This trade would likely happen closer to opening day of the regular season after Buffalo has seen what they’ve got in Levi and whether or not he’s ready to take the leap. However, that could line up perfectly to see if Demko will be ready for the regular season or not.
Eric Comrie/Kaapo Kahkonen
The Winnipeg Jets also have a bit of a crowded goalie room after two offseason additions. The club signed Eric Comire and Kaapo Kahkonen to battle for the backup role behind reigning Vezina trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
Comrie is a familiar face in Winnipeg, as he was drafted by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft. He would play a handful of games through his first three seasons and head off to New Jersey, only to return two seasons later, serving as Hellebuyck’s backup.
Last season was a struggle for Comrie as he played in 10 games for the Sabres, finishing with a 2-7 record, a 3.69 GAA and a .874 S%. However, don’t let last year’s down season fool you. In previous stint in Winnipeg, he started 16 games, finishing with a 10-5-1 record, with a 2.58 GAA and a .920 S%.
Kahkonen has been a bit of a journeyman throughout his short five-year NHL career, with Winnipeg now being his fourth team. Last season, he split time with the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, finishing with a 7-24-3 record – albeit with the NHL’s worst Sharks team – 3.16 GAA and a .887 S%.
Both players come in at an affordable number (Comrie $850,000 for two more seasons, Kahkonen $1 million for one season) with NHL experience that could help split the workload with Silovs until Demko returns.
What do you think, Canucks fans? If the Canucks are unable to sign Lankinen or another free agent, and given the reports of the fourth-round pick burning a hole in managements pockets, would you be comfortable with any of these options to help hold the fort until Demko returns in exchange for a fourth-round pick?
