Vincent Desharnais’s top three Canucks trade destinations
Desharnais has not performed as expected in Vancouver, and the Canucks are reportedly already searching for a better match for him.
Without negatively impacting the team, the Vancouver Canucks are making every effort to retain struggling defender Vincent Desharnais in the lineup. They are aware that Desharnais loses both his trade value and game fitness if he doesn’t play.
However, it would be just as horrible if Desharnais did play and performed poorly for the Canucks, as he has done most of the time.
Regardless of playing time or performance, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, a deal is made because it was reported on Friday that the Canucks were already seeking to transfer Desharnais and find “a better fit” for him.
Desharnais is a defenseman of NHL level, as we all know, but he shouldn’t be playing at a position higher than the bottom defensive pairing. Although he is a strong 6-foot-7, 226-pound player who can hit and defend, he has trouble with the puck on his stick.
The Canucks might get a vital $2 million in compensation if they were to deal Desharnais without keeping any of his earnings. This money could then be used to make another trade, either now or in the future, for another defenseman or for something else entirely.
The 28-year-old did participate in Monday night’s exciting 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, playing six more minutes (16:24) than Erik Brannstrom, the Canucks defenseman with the fewest minutes (10:39). However, it is evident that after Filip Hronek recovers from his lower-body surgery and Derek Forbort recovers from the virus, which is anticipated to happen before the NHL trade deadline, Desharnais’s grasp on a position in the roster will become, at best, precarious.
Having said that, which NHL teams would be open to taking a chance on Desharnais and enhancing their defensive depth through a trade with the Canucks?
