A former Vancouver Canucks signing who never found his footing in Vancouver is back on the waiver wire.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Danton Heinen has been waived, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That opens the door for the rest of the NHL to place a claim if a team wants to take a shot on him.
Heinen has appeared in 10 games this season for Columbus and has yet to record a point. He also carries a minus-2 rating.
For Canucks fans, the name brings back a move that looked sensible at the time but never paid off. Vancouver signed Heinen to a two-year, $4.5 million contract on the first day of NHL free agency in the 2024 offseason, hoping he could help deepen the top nine.
The bet made sense on paper because Heinen was coming off a productive year with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24. In 74 games, he put up 17 goals, 19 assists, 36 points, and a plus-16 rating.
But the offense never carried over to Vancouver. In 51 games with the Canucks during the 2024-25 season, Heinen managed six goals and 18 points, and he never really settled in.
That stint ended quickly when Vancouver sent him, along with a 2025 first-round pick, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and prospect Melvin Fernstrom, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Drew O’Connor and defenseman Marcus Pettersson in January of that same season.
In the end, the Heinen signing became another reminder that a decent track record elsewhere doesn’t always translate once the jersey changes.
In Other News...
Canucks Prospects Are Building Momentum Fans Will Want To Track
A few Canucks prospects are starting to make themselves harder to ignore in the NCAA, and the latest stretch offered a little bit of everything. Caleb Malhotra chipped in with a goal and an assist, Anthony Romani kept adding to his scoring resume, and Niklas Aaram-Olsen reached two notable firsts of his own as the college season continues to give Vancouver a better read on where these young players are headed.
For a front office and fan base trying to track the next wave, the encouraging part is not just the points but the way these players are handling bigger roles and tougher competition. There is still plenty of development ahead, and the jump to the professional level will bring a different kind of test, but this kind of momentum is exactly what the Canucks want to see as these prospects keep building their cases. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Prospect Connor Davis Is Chasing A Bigger Role Fast
Connor Davis is already trying to turn a fresh start at North Dakota into something bigger for the Canucks. The prospect is in his freshman season and leaning on the traits that got him noticed in the first place, using his size and speed as the foundation for a game he wants to sharpen quickly. After attending Vancouvers development camp, hes had a chance to absorb advice from the organization, and the early message has been clear: the next step is learning how to translate those tools into a more complete pro-style game.
The jump from juniors to NCAA hockey has not been a simple one, and Davis has been open about how demanding the transition can be. College hockey brings a different level of physicality, and hes working through that adjustment while trying to play hard without losing the skill that makes him intriguing in the first place. For Vancouver, the appeal is obvious, but the real question is how fast he can turn that raw package into a bigger role before the season gets away from him. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Top-Six Need Could Force A Massive Decision On Core Talent
The Kings are still looking for a way to add more punch to their top six, and that search has a way of pulling the Canucks into the conversation. With Los Angeles trying to solve an offense problem and Vancouver carrying one of the leagues most watched core pieces, the idea of a major trade keeps circling the same names, even if nothing has moved beyond the speculative stage.
Elias Pettersson remains the kind of player who can reshape a roster debate in a hurry, which is exactly why any discussion around him comes with so much caution. Vancouvers side of the equation is complicated by the broader direction of the team and the uncertainty that comes with any blockbuster involving a player of that caliber, while recent changes in management only add another layer to a deal that would be difficult to pull off even if both sides were motivated. [Read more 🡒]