The Canucks were notably active during downtime
By Mo Hussain, Sports Reporter
So far, the Vancouver Canucks have made plenty of moves during this off-season that saw many players come and go. Whether it was through free agency, trades, or draft picks, the team made many transactions that made big changes to the roster. Here are a couple of things to takeaway:
A DEAL WITH THE DESSERT
The Canucks made a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Coyotes that saw them trade:
- 9th overall pick in the 2021 draft
- Loui Eriksson
- Jay Beagle
- Antoine Roussel
- Second-round pick in 2022
- Seventh-round pick in 2027
In exchange for….
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Conor Garland
There are many potential benefits and risks the Canucks face in this trade. On one end they cleared up $12 million of cap space for forwards that produced a combined 10 points last season. They also acquired a former two-time all-star defenseman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and an up-and-coming 25-year-old forward in Conor Garland.
However, the 30-year-old Ekman-Larsson also comes at the cost of six more years at nearly $49 million (an annual average of $8.25 million). There’s some concern as to whether the defenceman can remain healthy and play like how he was as an all-star a couple of years back. Hopefully the Canucks get the all-star version of the defenceman and continue to see growth with Conor Garland.
MORE NEW FACES IN VANCOUVER
The Canucks definitely did not stop with bringing in new faces after the Arizona trade. The team signed over 10 brand new players so far including 2021 Stanley Cup champion Luke Schenn (who played for the team back in 2018-19), veteran goaltender Jaroslav Halak, Maple-ridge native Brad Hunt, and many more. The Canucks also decided to buy out goaltender Braden Holtby, who signed with the team in 2020.
LONG TIME CANUCK LEGEND IS HOLLYWOOD BOUND
After spending 13 years with the Vancouver Canucks, Alex Edler and the Canucks decided to part ways this offseason. Edler signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks paid tribute to Edler by releasing a one-minute video of the defensemen’s highlights with the team.
The former Canuck scored just over 400 points, and was selected as an all-star in 2012, and was the final remaining member of the 2011 Western Conference championship roster to be on the team this past season.
