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Alex Edler is at the centre of one of the greatest Canucks stories ever told.

And, wouldn’t you know, it revolves around a trade deadline.

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But this one is year 2008, the dawn of the Sedin era and the lead-up to the run which would bring a city together and then break its collective heart.

Dave Nonis was the general manager then, and a lot more fiery then he ever let on in public.

There was oppressing, weighty pressure on him then to make a move — a franchise-changing one — and, no, the source wasn’t fans or media.

As the story goes, Canucks ownership was playing the heavy, leaning on Nonis to deal for Brad Richards with a package including Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler, a 21-year-old, do-everything defenceman who was in the midst of scoring eight goals in his rookie season.

As an aside, can you imagine the reaction if a rookie defenceman scored eight goals for the Canucks these days? He’d be in the Ring of Honour before the season ended.