The Vancouver Canucks are off to a franchise-best 11-3-1 start and have blown the NHL away with their offensive prowess, stout defensive game, and Vezina-caliber goaltending courtesy of Thatcher Demko (minus the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs). Even though the rain has taken over the city of Vancouver, the sun is shining in November for Canucks Nation for the first time in a long time. So much so that the front office wants to keep the good times rolling with trades to upgrade the team.
One area the Canucks still want to improve is their defence, particularly their NHL depth. As of right now, all six defencemen are playing efficient and structured hockey, leading to the fourth-best goals-against-per-game average (2.20) in the league. But one injury – like the recent one to Carson Soucy – can derail all that, forcing the likes of Noah Juulsen, Matt Irwin, and other okay, but ultimately average defencemen into action.
Since the beginning of the season, rumours of an Ethan Bear and Chris Tanev reunion have come up across the news wire, and now Nikita Zadorov has been added to the list after he asked for a trade following the Calgary Flames’ loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday (Nov. 10). What’s interesting to note is that he’s a client of Dan Milstein’s, the same agent that represents Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Mikheyev, and prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev.
What Would Zadorov Bring to the Canucks’ Blue Line?
According to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks have been interested in Zadorov for a while. Now that he’s requested a trade, it’s more and more likely that he could be heading to Vancouver. His agent knows the Canucks very well and has a great relationship with general manager Patrik Allvin, so if any team has a leg up, it would be the Canucks. Having said that, trades are not executed between agents and GMs, so it might be a moot point.
But, is Zadorov the right fit for the blue line led by early Norris Trophy contender Quinn Hughes? Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 16th overall in 2013, he is a rough-and-tumble defenceman with a bit of an underrated offensive game. He scored a career-high 14 goals last season and has been known to throw the body (a lot) and block shots. He has hit triple digits in hits in seven straight seasons and has turned himself into a pretty reliable two-way defenceman. His style appears to be a lot like Ian Cole and Carson Soucy – two new additions that have seamlessly integrated themselves into the new blue line controlled by assistant coach Adam Foote.
Another interesting fact is that Foote was with the Avalanche as a development consultant when Zadorov was part of the team between 2015 and 2017. So he might know a thing or two about what the former Av and Sabre could bring to his current group of defencemen. All in all, he could be a great addition to the blue line, and help clear a logjam in the process.
Beauvillier Could Be Moved To Clear Logjam in Bottom Six
With the return of Teddy Blueger, the Canucks have a logjam in the bottom six. While Jack Studnicka will likely be the odd man out going back to Abbotsford, that still leaves at least one forward that will be rotated in and out when they don’t deserve to be. Particularly Nils Hoglander, who has already been a healthy scratch twice this season when he’s arguably been the best and most consistent bottom-six forward – both offensively and defensively.
The Canucks have been trying to clear that logjam since the beginning of the season when Conor Garland and his agent were given permission to seek out a trade. Fast forward to mid-November and Garland is still here and the tune of the Canucks has changed to keeping the former Arizona Coyote and potentially moving Anthony Beauvillier.
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Beauvillier was acquired in the trade that sent former captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, and after a strong start to his Canucks tenure where he scored nine goals and 20 points in 33 games last season, he has hit a snag early on in 2023-24. He just scored his first two goals of the season against the lowly San Jose Sharks on Nov. 2 and has gone pointless in 12 of the 16 games he’s played so far. He has also been relegated from the top line with Pettersson to the fourth line with Sam Lafferty and the aforementioned Hoglander.
Beauvillier will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this offseason, and even if the Canucks are firmly in the playoffs by the trade deadline, he could be a candidate to be moved. That is if he isn’t moved before then in a trade for Zadorov.
Beauvillier/Zadorov One-for-One Swap?
In addition to the logjam in the bottom six, the Canucks also have one in regards to their cap space. According to Cap Friendly, they have zero space right now and will have to move money out if they want to engage in any trade talks. So, if Allvin truly wants Zadorov on his blue line, he will have to either trade Beauvillier or Garland in another deal or for Zadorov straight up.
The Canucks would actually be saving money if they were to convince Flames GM Craig Conroy to part with Zadorov for only Beauvillier. Zadorov carries a cap hit of $3.75 million while Beauvillier is at $4.15 million. It’s not a lot, but every bit counts when you’re so close to the ceiling. Both of them are UFAs at the end of the season, so both teams would not be losing anything if things didn’t work out.
Canucks Are Rolling, Should They Disrupt Chemistry?
The one thing about a trade right now is the potential of disrupting the chemistry that has been formed in the defence corps. Every pairing is running like a well-oiled machine, with Hughes and Filip Hronek dominating at the top and Soucy, Tyler Myers, Cole and Mark Friedman efficiently playing behind them. Would adding Zadorov make them better or worse? He’s also another left-hand shot, further increasing the imbalance of right vs. left-handers on the team.
Friedman would likely be the odd man out if Zadorov was added, forcing Cole back to the right side. A pairing of Zadorov and Cole would be a handful to play against, but considering Friedman has played well up to this point, does he deserve to be given the short end of the stick? Granted, the Canucks would be a stronger team with Friedman as the seventh defenceman, but I’m not sure now is the best time to mess with the blue line even if it seemingly improves it on paper.
We will just have to see what happens. Even though the Canucks are interested doesn’t mean they will land Zadorov. There are reportedly a lot of teams in the running for his services, and the Flames will be taking their time in making a trade. Stay tuned, because this doesn’t look a situation that will be resolved any time soon.