The March 7th NHL Trade Deadline is still a ways away, but the NHL’s Holiday roster freeze is tonight.
After midnight tonight, NHL teams are not allowed to recall players — except on an emergency basis — or make any trades. Appearing to have learned a thing or two from Jim Rutherford, other NHL teams seem to have taken a page out of the Hockey Hall of Famer’s book by making their deals earlier than normal this season. And that was no different on Wednesday evening, when we saw two potential Canucks trade options moved.
Kakko headed to Seattle, Borgen off the board
First, we saw the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken link up to find Kaapo Kakko a new home. The 2019 2nd overall pick was a healthy scratch this past week, and his comments that followed seem to have accelerated his exit from New York, which already seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Going back to the Rangers from the Kraken is Will Borgen, a 2025 third round pick, and a 2025 sixth round pick. Obviously, Borgen is the piece of the deal that could have been a potential solution to the Canucks’ need for a top four defenceman.
Borgen is a 6’3 smooth-skating right shot defenceman who has flourished into a 4/5 defenceman with the Seattle Kraken. At 28 years old, Borgen is in the final year of a two-year deal at $2.7 million and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s best suited for a third pairing, but is capable of playing top four minutes and could have been a top four option for the Canucks.
He’s a smart pickup for New York, who have struggled mightily this season, with their ability to defend the rush being a point of concern. Jacob Trouba’s dip in play and eventual trade to Anaheim certainly left them a bit weak on the right side. To be able to turn a distressed asset in Kakko into someone who can fill that hole on the right side of their blue line is tidy work from the Rangers.
Unfortunately, it takes a potential trade option off the board for the Canucks to look at.
Alexandre Carrier headed to Montreal
Shortly after the Kakko trade, the Nashville Predators shipped Alexandre Carrier off to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Justin Barron.
Also a right shot defenceman, Carrier is a solid puck moving defenceman who would have been an upgrade on what the Canucks currently have on their backend. That being said, he could be a tad undersized for the Canucks’ liking at 5’11, and by no means was he the best option available on the trade market. But for the low price of Justin Barron — a still unproven NHL defenceman — he certainly would have been an intriguing trade option for the Canucks.
Carrier is in year one of a three-year contract at $3.75 million annually. The Predators freed up a good amount of cap space with this deal, as Barron is owed just $1.15 million both this year and next. At 23 years old, Barron has yet to prove himself as an NHL defenceman, and the Predators are hoping his game can progress in Nashville before he becomes a restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason.
With Carrier and Borgen off the board, it’s no surprise that reports this week have indicated the Canucks are ramping up their efforts to go out and get the top four defenceman they covet. If other teams are active, you certainly know one with Jim Rutherford at the helm is going to be as well.
