As the Olympic break nears and the trade deadline looms just a month away, the Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a familiar - and frustrating - position. But this season, it’s not the dreaded mediocrity that’s defined their campaign.
Instead, it’s a full-on plunge to the bottom of the standings, which, while painful, at least offers some clarity. At 18-31-6 and sitting 8th in the Pacific, their playoff hopes are essentially non-existent.
That reality has turned them into one of the league’s more obvious sellers ahead of the deadline.
A Clear Direction, Finally
For years, the Canucks have flirted with the idea of a rebuild without ever fully committing. But trading franchise cornerstone Quinn Hughes to Minnesota signaled a definitive shift.
It’s not just a retool - this is a teardown. Whether that teardown continues at full speed over the next few weeks is the big question.
They’ve already moved winger Kiefer Sherwood to San Jose, netting a pair of second-rounders and a depth defenseman. That followed the Hughes blockbuster, which was arguably the biggest move any team will make this season.
With those deals, Vancouver’s front office - led by Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford - has already thinned out the list of movable assets. But there are still a few pieces left on the board.
Who’s Still on the Block?
Let’s start with the pending UFAs, typically the most common currency at the trade deadline. Vancouver has four left on the NHL roster, though one - defenseman Derek Forbort - has been on LTIR since October and isn’t expected to move.
That leaves centers Teddy Blueger and David Kämpf as the most likely candidates to be shipped out. Of the two, Blueger holds more value.
He’s only recently returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out for more than half the season, but he’s wasted no time making an impact - four goals in eight games since coming back. He’s been here before too, getting traded to Vegas as a rental in 2023 and contributing to their Stanley Cup run.
At $1.8 million, he’s a cost-effective option for contenders looking to shore up their bottom six. His faceoff prowess, penalty-killing chops, and ability to chip in offensively make him a solid depth add.
The wrinkle? He’s got a 12-team no-trade list, which could complicate things depending on who comes calling.
Kämpf, on the other hand, is more of a depth body. After having his contract terminated by the Maple Leafs early in the season, he’s found a regular role in Vancouver largely out of necessity.
He’s logging over 15 minutes a night, but the offensive output just isn’t there - six points in 32 games, a career-worst pace. Still, his defensive metrics tell a different story.
Kämpf owns a 50.5% shot attempt share at 5-on-5, one of the best marks on the team, and he’s doing it against tough matchups. A playoff-bound team looking for a responsible fourth-line center could kick the tires, but the return likely won’t be more than a late-round pick.
Then there’s Evander Kane. His name’s been floated the most, and it’s easy to see why - he’s a big, physical winger with a history of stepping up in the postseason.
But at $5.125 million and with just nine goals and 25 points in 54 games, he hasn’t exactly lit it up since arriving from Edmonton. The Canucks’ tight cap situation doesn’t help, either.
Even if a team like Colorado or Dallas bites, Vancouver’s not likely to get more than the fourth-rounder they spent to acquire him.
The Big Contracts - and Big Questions
Beyond the rentals, Vancouver has a handful of names that could draw interest but come with major caveats.
Elias Pettersson is the headliner. He’s still technically available, but with an $11.6 million cap hit, any move involving him is more likely to happen in the offseason.
Same goes for Jake DeBrusk, who’s signed through 2031 at $5.5 million per year and has full no-move protection. Conor Garland’s six-year, $36 million extension doesn’t even kick in until next season, and while he doesn’t have trade protection yet, his seven goals in 44 games won’t exactly have teams lining up.
The Canucks have a surprising number of contracts north of $7 million for a team in rebuild mode - Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek, Thatcher Demko. None are expected to be moved before the deadline, but if Vancouver decides to go all-in on a deeper teardown, those deals will be worth watching in the offseason.
What They Need
Cap Flexibility: Unlike most rebuilding teams, the Canucks can’t weaponize their cap space to take on bad contracts in exchange for picks or prospects. They’re tight to the ceiling and have been all season.
The good news? They’ll get about $10 million in relief when Kane, Blueger, Kämpf, and Forbort come off the books, plus the projected $8.5 million salary cap increase.
They also don’t have any restricted free agents due for big raises. But if they want to be aggressive sellers and maximize future flexibility, moving one of their big-ticket players might be the only path.
Center Depth: Pettersson has bounced back, but beyond him, there’s no clear-cut top-line center in the system. Marco Rossi, acquired in the Hughes deal, is still finding his footing with just two points in eight games.
Braeden Cootes, last year’s 15th overall pick, shows promise as a two-way second-liner but doesn’t project as a true No. 1.
And the 2026 draft class isn’t expected to offer much help down the middle either - the top forwards are wingers.
The Bottom Line
The Canucks are finally committing to a direction, and while it’s not pretty right now, clarity is a step forward. They’ve already made some of the biggest moves of the season, and with a handful of tradable pieces still in play, there’s room for more.
The challenge? Navigating a tight cap sheet, underperforming contracts, and a market that may not be eager to take on term.
But if Allvin and Rutherford can find the right deals - even if they’re smaller ones - they can continue to stockpile assets and set the stage for a more flexible, focused rebuild. For a franchise that’s spent too long in the middle, that’s exactly what they need.