Not long ago, the Canucks went on a bit of a tear, picking up points in 12 of 14 games with a 9-2-3 record. That run brought the team to the lofty heights of the second wildcard spot, which they clung onto by the tips of their fingers like a . (Sidenote: The picture in that link makes my hands sweat involuntarily.)
Unfortunately, the Canucks weren鈥檛 able to cling to the edge and and have started plummeting down the standings like : slowly and safely.
The Canucks are now 5 points out of the last wild card spot and, with a tough schedule ahead of them, will find it tough to make up ground. Unless , the Canucks鈥� dreams of making the playoffs could be over in a hurry.
Like, say, by the trade deadline.
March 1st is just three weeks away and as the Canucks fall further and further out of the playoff picture, there鈥檚 less and less chance that on making the postseason. But will they make any trades at all or will this just be a repeat of last year, when Benning failed to make the most of pending free agents Radim Vrbata and Dan Hamhuis?
The Canucks have a few players that could fetch value in a trade. Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen top that list, but they鈥檙e not alone: Ryan Miller is a pending UFA and the Canucks have defencemen that could be moved as well, from Luca Sbisa and Erik Gudbranson to Chris Tanev and Alex Edler.
The biggest problem is that Burrows, Hansen, Miller, and Edler all have no-trade clauses in their contracts. For Hansen and Miller, they鈥檙e modified clauses that allow them to list teams they would be willing to go to. Earlier this season, Jim Benning made it clear that he , a switch from his stance when he .
鈥淭here are a couple reasons why I wanted to put that out there about not trading the guys with no trade contracts,鈥� he said on TSN 1040. 鈥淭he first reason, I think, is I wanted to be honest with our players and our fans...the other reason is I want to try to eliminate the unnecessary distractions so our players can focus on getting better and winning games.鈥�
Whether you agree with this call or not, at least it was clear. It left an opening for players without no-trade clauses to be moved, like Tanev, Sbisa, or Gudbranson, but at least guys like Burrows and Hansen could play out the season without worry.
贰虫肠别辫迟鈥�
on the subject of asking Burrows and Hansen to waive their no-trade clauses or, in Hansen鈥檚 case, of providing a list of teams.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to see where we鈥檙e at,鈥� said Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who鈥檚 on a European scouting trip. 鈥淚鈥檒l have individual conversations with those players and their agents, but we鈥檙e hoping we can stay in the (playoff) fight. But it鈥檚 a tough trip.鈥�
Wait, what?
Benning went from clear and distinct 鈥� he won鈥檛 trade players with NTCs 鈥� to more waffley than . Instead of a blanket statement that covers everyone with a NTC, it鈥檚 now about 鈥渋ndividual conversations.鈥� And so much for being honest with our players and eliminating distractions.
So, will Benning aim to add more draft picks and prospects by doing what he said he definitely wouldn鈥檛 do? Honestly, going back on his word is probably the best move for the franchise as a whole. I love Burrows and Hansen, but if you can get a high draft pick and/or a great prospect back in a trade, you have to do what鈥檚 best for the future.聽
Still, it adds a dose of uncertainty to the next few weeks for several Canucks.
