The past four weeks have not gone well for the Vancouver Canucks, from J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson being at odds with each other to their 2-5-3 record in their previous 10 games, including a terrible performance on Jan. 16 against the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver looks lost and unable to return to the good hockey they played 12 months ago. With the 2025 Trade Deadline approaching in early March, the Canucks need to be sellers that day so that they can gain as many assets as they can and commit to re-tooling this current team, which has not been up to the standard that they need.
Canucks Won’t Win the Stanley Cup
As of right now, Vancouver sits one point behind the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and seven points behind the Kings third place in the Pacific division. With the way they are currently playing and have played for the past four to six weeks, Vancouver does not look like a team that is going to come close to winning a Stanley Cup or even qualifying for the playoffs. Even if they do squeak into the playoffs as the final wild-card team, they do not look like a team that could stand a chance against either the Vegas Golden Knights or Winnipeg Jets. They are currently playing like a disorganized team that does not have much structure and is relying heavily on a most likely still-injured Quinn Hughes to carry the majority of the load.
Selling off their assets at this point would be a great opportunity to re-group and get some assets that they can use for their future or for right now. The Canucks sold off a lot of their future last season when they made the Elias Lindholm trade and due to that they were unable to add to their prospect pool. By selling off a player like Brock Boeser or Conor Garland, they could get tremendous value back as both players could be incredibly valuable to a playoff-bound team that may need some depth scoring as they prepare for a big Stanley Cup run. From the Canucks’ point of view, they could get some great draft capital and add to their already-large numbers of picks or acquire some important cheap players who could eventually be big contributors to their team.
This Doesn’t Need to Start a Rebuild
Just because the Canucks should be sellers at this year’s deadline does not mean that they need to start a whole rebuild and try to hit rock bottom. They just need to retool and trim off some pieces so they can improve for next season and beyond. The Washington Capitals provide a great example of a retool. Two seasons ago, Washington could have tried to fight for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but Brian MacLellan and the Capitals’ front office decided to sell off their pieces at the deadline and fall down the standings. By doing that, they added multiple important pieces to their team like defenceman Rasmus Sandin and made smart draft choices by selecting Ryan Leonard and Andrew Cristall. After making that decision, the Capitals had a fresh start and are now one of the best teams in the NHL.
Vancouver has the chance to do exactly that: to make a few really smart moves and decisions so they can have more success in the coming seasons. By making just a couple of medium-sized moves at the deadline, the Canucks could add sizable additions to a club that already has a very good core group of players. This would be a big decision for the Canucks’ front office because you always want to be the team buying rather than selling; selling, though, would be short-term pain for long-term gain. They have the chance to bring in very important players who can help their team now and divest of players who may walk away in free agency. You always want to get assets for players on expiring contracts.
Many did not expect the Canucks to be sellers at the deadline, but here we are. With the team not playing well and not looking close to a Stanley Cup contender, the best thing for the team to do is sell, retool for next season, and have a fresh start in 2025-26 with new and exciting players.
