With GM Jim Benning continually reiterating his intentions to stand relatively pat at the 2019 Trade Deadline, it’s become a near certainty that the Vancouver Canucks will enter the 2019/20 season with a serious abundance of cap space.

Chances are good that a decent portion of this space will be occupied by new deals for Brock Boeser, Alex Edler, and Ben Hutton—among others—but even then the Canucks should have enough room left over to take on a bad contract from a cap-strapped team—provided, of course, that said team is willing to fairly compensate the Canucks in return.

The Concept

The notion of trading for “cap dumps” is not a new one, and doesn’t require much explanation. A competitive team with cap issues will seek to trade one of their bad contracts to a less-competitive squad with more flexibility—and they’ll offer up some draft picks and/or prospects to sweeten the deal.

There are plenty of cap-strapped teams in the NHL right now, and the Canucks are one of those teams that can afford to take on a dump or two—for the time being, that is. Elias Pettersson’s entry-level contract runs out at the end of the 2020/21 season and he’ll be looking for a substantial raise at that time, so Vancouver should avoid acquiring any bad contracts that extend beyond that year.

Ideally, any player acquired will either fit somewhere within the Canucks’ lineup or have the kind of injury history that suggests they’ll spend much of their time on the IR. The Canucks can fit just about anyone into their cap at the moment, but they should still avoid players with extraordinarily exorbitant salaries—like Corey Perry and his $8.625 million cap hit, for example.

The assets that the Canucks should expect in return will vary greatly based on the onerousness of the contract being acquired—as such, we’ve left that component a little more open-ended than usual. Therefore, the trade concept on the table today is:

Vancouver Trades A 2021 7th Round Pick For A Cap Dump (That Expires In Or Before 2021) And A Combination Of Picks And/Or Prospects

The Rationale

With the 2019 NHL Entry Draft being hosted by Vancouver, both the organization and its fanbase have expressed a desire to acquire more picks. At the same time, the rebuild is chugging merrily along and partially-developed prospects are always a welcome addition. Taking on cap dumps is really the only way to acquire picks and prospects without giving up anything of value.

Barring multiple major UFA signings, the Canucks are also likely to have ample cap space until the conclusion of the 2020/21 season, when Elias Pettersson needs a new deal. According to CapFriendly, the Canucks are projecting to have just under $30 million of space as of this offseason—and it’s hard to imagine that new contracts for Brock Boeser, Alex Edler, Ben Hutton, Nikolay Goldobin, Josh Leivo, and Thatcher Demko will take up any more than two-thirds of that at the absolute most. That still leaves the team with around $10 million to play with.

For the record, such a trade would likely occur in the offseason—but before the draft—although there is always the possibility of a deadline deal.

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The Proposals

In terms of target teams, we’re looking for those that are both contending—or hoping to contend in the near future—and under some form of salary cap strain. However, we’ll also consider those teams that might just want to save a bit of money.

To Vancouver:

Ryan Callahan

Boris Katchouk or Gabriel Fortier

2019 3rd Round Pick

To Tampa Bay:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 RW 43 6 9 15

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $5.8 million $5.8 million UFA

Tampa Bay is firmly within their window of contention, and Callahan’s contract is the only real obstacle to them bringing back an even stronger team next year. They’ll be willing to pay up in order to move him this offseason, and they fortunately have a cupboard full of prospects to offer. The Canucks don’t really need Callahan, but if they move on from bottom-six veterans like Markus Granlund and Brandon Sutter he’d be of some use. He does have a modified no-trade clause as of this current season.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Ryan Callahan

Boris Katchouk or Gabriel Fortier

2019 3rd Round Pick To Tampa Bay:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

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To Vancouver:

Patrick Marleau

2019 2nd Round Pick

Jeremy Bracco

To Toronto:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LW/C 58 13 15 28

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $6.25 million $6.25 million UFA

Unlike most of the other players on this list, Marleau is still a highly effective forward. That being said, the Maple Leafs are in one of the worst cap situations in the league—and that’s only going to get worse when they re-sign Mitch Marner. Marleau does have a full no-movement clause, so he will only leave Toronto if he chooses to—but if he’s willing to help out the Leafs by moving on, the Canucks could certainly use his services.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Patrick Marleau

2019 2nd Round Pick

Jeremy Bracco To Toronto:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

David Backes

2019 1st Round Pick

To Boston:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 C/RW 47 5 8 13

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $6 million $6 million $6 million

Backes is not a very popular player in Vancouver, nor is he the kind of player he used to be. With the Bruins’ core aging, they’ll be desperate to make a few more runs at the Cup—and thus, they might be willing to pay handsomely to ditch Backes’ contract. The Canucks could hold their collective noses and take him on if the reward is high enough—and if a bottom-six veteran or two are moved. He does have a modified no-trade clause after this season.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

David Backes

2019 1st Round Pick To Boston:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Michael Frolik

2019 3rd Round Pick

To Calgary:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LW/RW 41 12 7 19

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $4.3 million $4.3 million UFA

Frolik is still a fine hockey player, but he’s starting to age and has had difficulty finding a permanent spot in the Calgary lineup this season. With the onerous contract of James Neal already on the books, the Flames will look to dump Frolik this offseason—though they won’t be willing to offer up all that much along with him. He could be of some use to the Canucks, though he does have a modified no-trade clause.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Michael Frolik

2019 3rd Round Pick To Calgary:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Brandon Dubinsky

2019 1st Round Pick

To Columbus:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 C/LW 37 5 6 11

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $5.85 million $5.85 million $5.85 million

Take everything that was said for Backes and apply it to Dubinsky. Backes may be a little bit better than Dubinsky, but Dubinsky is a little bit cheaper and less hated in Vancouver—so the reward for taking him on should be roughly equal. With a modified no-trade clause that kicked in this season, Dubinsky would have to agree to go to Vancouver, which does seem a bit unlikely.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Brandon Dubinsky

2019 1st Round Pick To Columbus:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Vladimir Sobotka

2019 3rd Round Pick

2019 6th Round Pick

To Buffalo:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LW 55 3 7 10

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $3.5 million $3.5 million UFA

Sobotka returned from exile in the KHL with a lot of promise, but he’s failed to revive his NHL career. He was a cap dump when Buffalo acquired him, and he remains a cap dump—only now, it’s the newly-contending Sabres that are looking to get rid of him. Sobotka wouldn’t play much of a role in Vancouver, but he’s also not all that expensive and could probably be buried in the minors if it came down to it—and if the reward for acquiring him was sufficient.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Vladimir Sobotka

2019 3rd Round Pick

2019 6th Round Pick To Buffalo:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Andrej Sekera

2019 2nd Round Pick

Tyler Benson

To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LD 0 0 0 0

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $5.5 million $5.5 million $5.5 million

With Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi soon to arrive on the left side, the Canucks have absolutely no use for Sekera in the lineup. Fortunately, his injury history means that he’s nearly guaranteed to spend the last three years of his contract largely on the injured reserve. The Oilers desperately need to get rid of him—as soon as the upcoming trade deadline, if possible—and they should be willing to pony up in order to do so. Former Vancouver Giant Tyler Benson might make it worth the Canucks’ while.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Andrej Sekera

2019 2nd Round Pick

Tyler Benson To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Dmitry Kulikov

2019 2nd Round Pick

2019 6th Round Pick

To Winnipeg:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LD 34 0 4 4

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $4.33 million $4.33 million UFA

The Jets are enjoying their time as contenders, but they’re about to encounter a dire cap crunch. Kulikov is their biggest waste of space, but his contract isn’t so awful that it couldn’t be moved with relative ease. For a price, the Canucks could take him on as a seventh defenseman next season instead of Derrick Pouliot. He might even represent an upgrade.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Dmitry Kulikov

2019 2nd Round Pick

2019 6th Round Pick To Winnipeg:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Brandon Manning

2019 2nd Round Pick

To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 LD 29 2 2 4

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $2.25 million $2.25 million UFA

The Oilers are going to spend a lot of time and resources cleaning up Peter Chiarelli’s mess. That probably starts with his worst acquisition in Manning. While the Canucks don’t really need any more left-handed defenders, Manning is a BC boy and could make for a solid seventh defender next season—or, alternatively, buried in the minors. However, Vancouver should make Edmonton pay an exorbitant price before they help out their divisional rival.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Brandon Manning

2019 2nd Round Pick To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019

To Vancouver:

Ryan Spooner

2019 2nd Round Pick

To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick

Position Games Goals Assists Points 2018/19 C/LW 41 3 2 5

2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Cap Hit $4 million $4 million UFA

Take everything said for Manning and apply it here—minus the British Columbian stuff and the defenseman stuff. Spooner probably wouldn’t have much of a role in Vancouver, so he’d have to be buried in Utica—but another 2nd round pick in 2019 would probably make it worthwhile to pay his salary for a season.

Obviously, this entry was written before the Canucks acquired Spooner, but we’ve left it in for posterity’s sake. We’ll avoid calling ourselves prescient on this one as the team did not end up earning any extra picks for taking him on–although, in dumping Sam Gagner, the Canucks actually saved $50,000, making this a cap dump in the other direction.

If you were the #Canucks, would you accept the following trade: To Vancouver:

Ryan Spooner

2019 2nd Round Pick To Edmonton:

2021 7th Round Pick@CanucksArmy #ImmodestProposals #NHL — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) February 16, 2019





