There's no question that the Vancouver Canucks would like an upgrade on the blue line, more specifically, to their top-four, before the trade deadline on Friday, March 7th.
Patrik Allvin will have plenty of options available to him on the market, at varying costs, but there's one asset that will be crucial in any trade he makes to acquire a top-four defenseman this season.
David Quadrelli of Canucks Army, with the help of CanucksNewsSummaries on X, took a look at what it would cost Patrik Allvin to bring in a top-four defenseman this season.
After examining other deals in recent years involving top-four defensemen, whether they're restricted free agents, under contract or purely a rental (UFA on July 1st), there's one asset that teams have given up that stands out the most - a first-round pick.
Quadrelli then named three potential targets for the Vancouver Canucks - Cam Fowler, Rasmus Andersson and Marcus Pettersson, the latter of whom was made available by the Pittsburgh Penguins in recent days.
For a Cam Fowler trade, Quadrelli believes it would be quite risky given his contract and that if a deal were to happen between Vancouver and Anaheim, the Ducks would absolutely need to retain salary.
Rasmus Andersson, who's under contract until the end of the 2025-26 season, would likely cost the Vancouver Canucks a first and a second round pick.
As for Marcus Pettersson, Quadrelli says that if the Canucks wait a bit, they could get him for a second-round pick/B-level prospect or a younger player on the team's roster. While Quadrelli didn't mention any names, that young player on the Canucks roster they could dangle in a trade is Nils Hoglander.
With 111 days to go until the National Hockey League's trade deadline for the 2024-25 season, expect Patrik Allvin and the Vancouver Canucks to be very active.
Whether it's Cam Fowler, Rasmus Andersson, Marcus Pettersson or another player, one thing remains clear - there's a very good chance the Canucks will add to their blue line.
POLL | ||
Should the Vancouver Canucks part with their 2025 first-round pick to add a top-four defenseman? | ||
Yes | 93 | 46.5 % |
No | 107 | 53.5 % |
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