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The microscope is focusing on Gudbranson because from an asset-management perspective, there are two things at play.

If you don’t believe Gudbranson warrants a contract extension then you can’t afford to lose him for nothing via free agency. A return could be maximized at the trade deadline.

If you believe the skinny last summer of a deal with the Florida Panthers falling through — Jason Demers reportedly vetoed a trade to the Canucks in exchange for Gudbranson — then maybe the clock is really ticking on a 25-year-old defenceman.

However, he has embraced the city, a new uptempo system and wants to remain in Vancouver. What’s that worth?

If you listen to Canucks general manager Jim Benning, there’s a different take on all this and the Demers rumour.

“It was nowhere near what was out there in the media,” he stressed. “I didn’t comment on it because I don’t know how these things get out there. I get calls from the GMs about our players and we talk, but that’s all that was. It was just talk.

“Erik is hard to play against and gives us some push back. When you talk about intangibles, he’s a leader in our group with young players and will stick up for his teammates. There is an important role for him with our team.

“There’s a mutual thing with his agent. Let’s just see where this goes. From their perspective, they want to feel comfortable in a new city and find his niche. We agreed to let it play out and when the time is right, we’ll talk about it.”