Columbus Blue Jackets forward named perfect trade target for Vancouver Canucks amid rebuild
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
A young Columbus Blue Jackets forward could be a potential trade target for the Vancouver Canucks and General Manager Patrik Allvin amid their rebuild.
The first month of 2026 comes to a close today and as the Vancouver Canucks remain at the bottom of the NHL's standings, the team has committed to entering a rebuild and have already started by trading away Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood to the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
Amid their plans to rebuild, the Vancouver Canucks are hoping to get younger and have the right pieces in place to be a sustainable, competitive hockey club in the coming years.
"We are transitioning into a rebuild here, acquiring younger players through the draft. Obviously, the draft is really important for us. Since Jim and I got [here] three years ago, we've definitely always emphasized on getting younger." General Manager Patrik Allvin said.
Young Columbus Blue Jackets forward could be potential target for Vancouver Canucks
In those two trades mentioned earlier, the Vancouver Canucks brought back some solid pieces - Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first round pick from Minnesota and a pair of second round picks from the San Jose Sharks.
It's a great start for Patrik Allvin and the Canucks' management group, but they've got a long way to go in order to get this rebuild on the right track and as we inch closer to the league's trade deadline for the 2025-26 season, an intriguing target might be available.
In a recent article for RG Media, Marco D'Amico revealed that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov has been drawing interest and while he might be on target for 25+ goals this season, he's been playing in a fourth line role mostly, with one year remaining on his contract beyond the 2025-26 campaign at a cap hit of $4.175 million USD.
"Voronkov is a name I’ve heard a few times being of interest. Columbus had the opportunity to lock him up and went the bridge route. Now he’s playing on the fourth line despite trending for 25-plus goals. Something’s got to give." D'Amico said.
The Angarsk, Russia, who will turn 26 just before training camp begins in September, would be an ideal target for the Vancouver Canucks and is someone who could play a key role in their rebuild, however, the cost - which is unknown at the moment - might be tough to justify, especially if it would require Allvin to give up future assets.
That being said, it would be worth at least checking in with the Blue Jackets to see if they're willing to trade Voronkov and if they are what do they want for him. If it's too much, Allvin and the Canucks can always take their business elsewhere.
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