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The Vancouver Canucks were relatively quiet on NHL trade deadline day. But trades have been the story of this season for Vancouver. JT Miller is on the New York Rangers after a reported rift with forward Elias Pettersson. They kept Pettersson and winger Brock Boesert despite trade rumors. What does Kevin Lankinen's contract mean for Thatcher Demko? There are a lot of questions Canucks fans should be asking after the trade deadline.
The drama started way back in November when the Canucks lost to the Nashville Predators. Miller took a leave of absence after that game that stretched into December. When he came back, it became clear that Vancouver was going to trade either him or Pettersson. It was Miller, who was dealt to the Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil and a first-round pick. Even though he has downplayed the rift in recent days, Miller has been better since leaving.
The Pettersson rumors put his game under the microscope during the worst season of his young career. He has only 15 goals in 63 games this year and will lose his streak of three straight seasons with 32 or more goals. His no-move clause starts on July 1, so the window to trade him is almost shut. Not dealing him at the deadline points to a future with Pettersson on the Canucks, which may involve more disappointing seasons like this one.
Winger Brock Boeser is a free agent after this season and general manager Patrik Alvin has some pointed comments after the deadline. The Canucks GM said, “If I told you what I was offered for Brock Boeser, I think I would have to run out of here because you would not believe me.” He is implying that other teams do not value Boeser, which could lead to the end of his Vancouver run.
The Canucks have a lot of questions to answer
The Petterson question is mostly answered for the Canucks. They are going to keep him and hope he returns to his 30-goal pace for next season. But Boeser is a big unknown heading into the offseason. Reports surfaced that the Carolina Hurricanes were looking to flip one of the first-round picks they got for Mikko Rantanen but ran out of time. That could be connected to Boeser but did not get done.
It would make a lot of sense for the Hurricanes to be in on Boeser this offseason. His hometown Minnesota Wild should be interested as well as could the Edmonton Oilers if they fall short in the playoffs. But a reunion with the Vancouver Canucks seems unlikely at this time. While making the playoffs this year would be nice, why did the Canucks not hammer out a trade for Boeser? Even if Alvin was not a fan of the return, he is clearly not interested in bringing Boeser back.
There is also the goalie question that Alvin created in the Canucks locker room. Kevin Lankinen got a five-year contract extension while playing most of the games for the injured Thatcher Demko. With just one year left on his contract, Demko could be dealt this offseason.
Canucks fans should be concerned because this core never made a Western Conference Final and is already being torn down. They need to find offensive talent to put around Pettersson for him to get back to his 30-goal pace. But they aren't going to have Miller or Boeser next year.
The good news for the Canucks is that Quinn Hughes is having another great season. He is under contract through 2027, so he is there for a while but the contract questions will come soon.
