Former first overall pick named as real trade target for the Vancouver Canucks
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images.
A former first overall pick has been named as a potential trade target for the Vancouver Canucks as Patrik Allvin searches for help amid the team's rebuild.
The final two months of the National Hockey League's 2025-26 season are going to be tough to watch for fans of the Vancouver Canucks as the team has declared their intentions to rebuild, starting by trading off their pending unrestricted free agents and some veteran players leading up to the deadline on March 6th.
"But prior to this, we already made the decision that we were going to go with younger players. Over the past few years, our staff has done a good job and we have a number of good young players, whether they're in our lineup now or close to getting in our lineup. And those players are going to get a chance to play. Based on the circumstances with this team, this is the year to do it. The fact of the matter is we're in a rebuild." Rutherford said.
This was a necessary step for the franchise after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including this year, five times in the last six seasons and only have won three rounds since reaching the Stanley Cup Final back in 2011.
Amid this rebuild, the Canucks are going to need to find pieces that they can slot into their lineup, whether it be temporarily or players they believe could be around for the long haul up until, and including, when the team is competitive once again.
Former first overall pick named as potential trade target for Vancouver Canucks and Patrik Allvin
In a recent article for The Athletic highlighting potential reclamation projects for the Vancouver Canucks to consider, Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal mention 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière as a potential target for the club and he's someone that's been linked to the Lower Mainland on occasion over the last couple years.
"If Lafrenière were to shake loose, however, he’d still be worth gambling on, even for a team like the Canucks that has a load of road to run to get back to contention. While Lafrenière’s skating has held him back somewhat, he’s typically managed better underlying performance than his results would suggest; this season, for example, his five-on-five goal scoring has taken a major hit due to a career low shooting percentage, even as his defensive impact has spiked, which is generally the sort of profile you want to bet on." Drance and Dayal said about Alexis Lafrenière's potential fit with the Vancouver Canucks.
Similar to the Vancouver Canucks, the New York Rangers are heading into what General Manager Chris Drury described as a "retool", and they've already made a couple of notable moves.
The first saw Drury ship former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy across the Queensboro Bridge to the New York Islanders, while star forward Artemi Panarin headed west to the Los Angeles Kings just before the NHL's Olympic roster freeze.
There aren't many players on the New York Rangers' roster that the club won't consider moving and Alexis Lafrenière is more than likely one of them as he's in need of a fresh start, but could come at a high cost, something Patrik Allvin will need to be weary about given his own plans to rebuild and accumulate draft picks.
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