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Canucks Active in Trade Talks Pre-NHL Expansion Draft: Hyman, Holtby…

The Vancouver Canucks are rumored to be very active in trade talks ahead of the NHL Expansion Draft.

According to Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks have been among the busier teams trying to make a deal ahead of the Seattle NHL Expansion Draft. So far they’ve had no luck. That said, general manager Jim Benning is still feverishly working the phones.

As per their report:

Canucks general manager Jim Benning and his hockey operations department are still actively engaged in trade talks with various clubs facing tough decisions with their protected list ahead of the expansion draft. There’s been a high volume of chatter behind the scenes. Make no mistake, Benning has worked this angle hard.

The two scribes mention the Canucks were in on talks involving Colorado Avalanche defender Ryan Graves, who was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. evening in exchange for a late second-round pick and Mikhail Maltsev. While that deal didn’t get done, the report notes the team is “uniquely well-positioned with its protected list. They add that Saturday’s roster freeze has been the club’s primary focus in recent days.

The Canucks can afford to add a forward without much of a loss. They’ll otherwise be protecting Kole Lind in the expansion draft and he’s a restricted free agent who has underwhelmed so far is his appearances for the team. The Canucks are willing to leave him unprotected if they can add two middle-six forwards to their group this offseason.

Don’t Expect Canucks to Be In on Hyman

While there’s talk the Canucks have kicked tires on Zach Hyman’s availability, don’t expect them to be big players here. The two scribes note that their interest in the player is real and not just exploratory. Still, the Canucks are aware that Hyman is going to demand a ton of term whoever signs him and anything beyond five, six or seven years will likely rule out Vancouver.

The Canucks can’t afford to lock themselves into anyone not named Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Thatcher Demko and Quinn Hughes. 

Braden Holtby Zach Hyman Vancouver Canucks trade rumors

Holtby Drawing Interest from Teams

Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby will be left exposed by the Canucks and the Kraken are said to be interested in selecting him. Also of note, other teams have called the Canucks and asked about making a trade.

Per the report, “At least one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team are believed to be among Holtby’s interested suitors.” The list likely goes beyond that too. Essentially, the Canucks are looking for a way to move his cap hit and if they can make a trade and pick up assets, versus letting him go for free, they’ll try. His $4.3 million cap hit gone helps the team do other things.

There might even be a move here where the Kraken tell the Canucks they’ll do a little side deal for Holtby if the Canucks would be willing to retain some salary in the pickup.

Elder to Test Free Agency

Alexander Edler will test the free agent market, according to his agent Mark Stowe. Stowe told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV. he is perhaps is looking for a multi-year deal to finish his career. Edler has played his entire 925-game career in Vancouver.

Next: Landeskog Trending Toward Free Agency, Millions Apart from Avs Offer

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