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Is It Time for the Vancouver Canucks to Trade Jake Virtanen?

Jake Virtanen is a puzzle. The Vancouver Canucks expected much from him, but so far he hasn’t delivered. Is his time with the team up?

I’ve seen Jake Virtanen – the Vancouver Canucks young forward – vary between amazing and so-so. Obviously, the Canucks general manager Jim Benning agrees with me. With the 2020 NHL playoffs in the rearview mirror, it’s not difficult to say the Canucks did much better than expected.

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In fact, the general mood of the entire organization is upbeat. And, why not? The team is competing much more quickly than anyone anticipated.

What Does General Manager Jim Benning Believe”

However, not everyone on the team is playing up to expectations. Jake Virtanen is one of those players. On one hand, Benning gave Virtanen a compliment when he suggested that he thought Virtanen “worked and competed hard in the playoffs. He scored that big goal for us in Game 6.”

Then, Benning twisted the knife a bit when he added, “To be perfectly honest with you, though, I was expecting more from Jake in the playoffs. He can skate; he’s strong. He can get to the net. He’s a guy we’re going to have to talk about here going forward. We’ve been patient with him in his development, but he’s a guy I was expecting to produce more for us,” (from “Canucks ‘expected more from Jake’ Virtanen: GM Jim Benning,” The Province, 09/09/20).

What Did Virtanen Contribute During the Playoffs?

For someone who has the makings of a power forward, Virtanen didn’t live up to his possibilities. In fact, he scored only two goals and totaled three points in 16 postseason games. As a result, Benning’s announcement seems like a tap on Virtanen’s shoulder. From watching his game, it’s clear he has the skills. So, why isn’t he producing?

That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. When Virtanen, a Vancouver native, was picked up in the sixth-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the expectation was that he would soon develop into a top-six power forward. Now he’s 24-years-old and he still hasn’t found his game.

Or, Could What We See Be Virtanen’s Best Game?

Perhaps, everyone is simply expecting too much and Virtanen has reached his top-most level. However, if this is as good as his game gets, the Canucks are saying that it isn’t good enough. Virtanen shows flashes of skill, but those brief flashes are inconsistent.

As a result, what the team is left with is a very physical (and that’s a good thing) bottom-six forward (and that’s a not-so-good thing) who chips in on the offensive only occasionally (and that’s the kicker).

The bottom line is that it’s not that Vittanen’s a bad player; it’s that he could be so much better. Now the rubber is hitting the road with Virtanen becoming an RFA. And Canucks fans are left with the question: How will Benning treat Virtanen during salary negotiations?

Will the Canucks Trade Virtanen?

Recent speculation is that Virtanen might not be with the Canucks much longer. His name has been brought up in trade rumors for two reasons. Reason #1 is that the team might have tired of what it sees as a lack of committment. Reason #2 is that other teams seem willing to take a chance on the young forward, hoping that he still can grow into his expectations.

Jake Virtanen vs. Jason Zucker

In fact, there’s plenty of interest in Virtanen on the trade market. My bet is that, although Canucks general manager Benning called out his young player, he’s engaging more in tough love than in go-away-and-play-somewhere-else. I’m sure that the team wants to keep the young local player.

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That said, it might not be in the cards because of the salary-cap issues the team faces. What to do? Virtanen is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, and he’s due for a raise in his salary now that he’s finished his current two-year, $2.5 million contract.

The team might just trade him as a sacrifice for other contracts still to come. If the Canucks do sign him and he has another not-so-good season, look for him to be exposed in the expansion draft.

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