There were conflicting reports on Thursday when it came to the popular rumor that the Vancouver Canucks were interested in acquiring Wayne Simmonds from the New Jersey Devils.
Having already landed forward Tyler Toffoli, the Canucks might be looking to make an additional move if Micheal Ferland isn’t a reliable option and ready to roll for the post-season. Call it a backup plan but Wayne Simmonds would have made for a good fit and was the name being tossed out there more often than any other. However, Pierre LeBrun reports there has been a snag and that the two sides have not been able to work out the salary cap details in a way that would make the addition work for the cap-strapped Canucks.
The potential return of Brock Boeser is what seems to be holding up Vancouver’s eagerness to make a move here. He will return from injury prior to the end of the regular season and the team must account for that cap increase. In short, they don’t just have free money due to injury to add whomever they need.
There are however other reports that the Canucks are still in on this deal.
Vancouver Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 reports that the Canucks are “in the mix” for Simmonds and prepared to potentially move top prospects like Olli Juolevi, Nikolay Goldobin, Nikita Tryamkin or Brogan Rafferty.
So, with conflicting reports, where does all of this really sit? Perhaps, for now, the Vancouver Canucks are out on Simmonds. But, should things change or the ask drop, the Canucks may circle back closer to the deadline.
It seems as though Vancouver wants the player, they just need to find a way to make it work. Easier said than done, as is often the case around trade deadline time.
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