The Vancouver Canucks are trying to make a trade and they’re getting closer to making something happen.
The team’s desire for another defenceman has been talked about a lot and according to one of the biggest NHL insiders, they may be getting closer to fulfilling that want.
“I do think that they’ve been pretty active here in the last few days trying to go after a defenceman to fulfill some of the needs we’ve talked about all season long,” said Frank Seravalli on Halford & Brough.
While Seravalli reported the Canucks are busy on the phone lines, he wasn’t sure exactly what teams or players those discussions centred around. What he is sure of is that they’re trying to pull off a big deal.
“I’m told it’s something more substantial that they’re working on, that they’re looking for that top-four defenceman addition… there’s some sense they might’ve gotten closer.”
While a hypothetical trade between the Canucks and Buffalo Sabres proposed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last week had fans buzzing, there are plenty of other blueliners available around the NHL.
Some of the names being mentioned in Canucks trade talks include Marcus Pettersson, Ivan Provorov, Bowen Byram, and Rasmus Andersson. All of those players are legitimate top-four options and would instantly provide a huge boost as a legitimate puck-mover.
Besides another top defenceman, the Canucks are also looking to add a winger, per reports from yesterday.
The NHL’s holiday roster freeze starts on Friday so the Canucks will need to act quickly if they want to get a deal done. With Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford leading the way, a trade could be coming any time and something may happen sooner than later.