Kings Want to Dump Forward: Should the Canucks Jump?

The Vancouver Canucks are heading into February with a different kind of deadline energy this year. Instead of chasing shiny rentals and trying to force a miracle playoff push, it feels like management is thinking bigger picture.

Given where things are, honestly, that’s probably the right move. This team finally seems to understand that short-term scrambling just digs the hole deeper. The long game becomes key.

The Canucks Can Use Salary-Cap Flexibility

One thing Vancouver actually has going for it, because of long-term injured reserve (LTIR), is a bit of cap flexibility. They can take on money if it helps them collect assets, and that opens the door for something they haven’t done much of: grabbing players other teams are desperate to unload.

Look at Warren Foegele with the Kings. They’ve spent big, brought in Panarin, and you can tell they’re not finished adding pieces. With all that money moving around, Foegele’s basically the guy who got pushed out.

Foegele Has Been a Strong Player, Just Not This Season

Foegele’s season hasn’t gone well. He’s 29, supposed to be in his prime, and is sitting at six goals and eight points through 40-plus games. That’s a far cry from the 24 goals he put up last season and the 20 the season before with the Edmonton Oilers.

Right now, he’s been a healthy scratch far more often than the Kings expected when they signed him. When a contending team is trying to make room for a major upgrade at center, a struggling winger becomes the first name on the chopping block.

But here’s the interesting part: Foegele isn’t some washed-up veteran. He might just be having a rotten year. It happens. Players dip, the fit isn’t right, confidence tanks, and suddenly the numbers go with it. Vancouver is exactly the kind of spot where a player like that can get back on track. Low pressure, lots of opportunity, and a coaching group that knows how to squeeze real value out of middle-six wingers.

It Might Not Take Much to Grab Foegele from the Kings

If the Canucks decided to go for it, the price probably wouldn’t be anything huge. A mid-round pick, maybe. For a team like the Kings, dumping the contract is the priority. For the Canucks, the upside is that Foegele could rebound and actually become an asset worth something down the line. You buy low now, let him play real minutes next season, and suddenly he looks like a guy who can net you a second-round pick at the 2026 deadline.

That’s the kind of move rebuilding teams have to look for. Low cost, low risk, and the potential to turn a cap dump into something useful. As long as his limited no-trade clause doesn’t get in the way, the Canucks should be looking to pick him up. Some moves might go unnoticed but can prove beneficial.

Related: Winnipeg Jets: Tough Year, but a Big Bounce-Back Coming?