3 early Canucks trade candidates after 2025 playoff elimination

It is stunning that Elias Pettersson is considered a trade candidate, but there is no denying the truth. He signed an eight-year, $11.6 million annual deal last March. That deal includes trade protection that kicks in on July 1. After the Miller rift and the worst season of his career, Pettersson’s name will be out there in trade rumors.

When the draft rolls around, the Canucks will not trade Elias Pettersson. Quinn Hughes is one of the few elite 200-foot defensemen in the league, and they need to surround him with talent. With Miller gone and an offseason to get fully healthy, Pettersson should be back to his normal self next year. After three years with at least 32 goals, he scored only 15 this year. That won’t be enough for Vancouver.

If Pettersson is traded, the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins should both be calling. Those teams are dealing with aging cores and a lack of elite scoring from the center position. That is what Pettersson can bring, but he will remain in Vancouver.

The Canucks goalie situation is changing

Just after he came back from representing Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Kevin Lankinen signed an extension with the Canucks. He will be in Vancouver for five years at a $4.5 million salary. That leads to a big question about Thatcher Demko, whose contract is expiring after the 2025-26 season. That points to a trade this offseason from Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin.

Lankinen posted a 2.62 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage this year. That should be enough for the Canucks to build on in net moving forward. Demko has suffered through a ton of injuries in his career, and Lankinen will be important regardless of whether he is traded. They could trade him and sign a backup who would play more games than Demko because of his injuries.

The Canucks would not have many trade partners for Demko because of his injury history. But if Jacob Markstrom leaves the Devils, they’ll be looking for another goalie. And the Oilers may be looking for a secondary option to Stuart Skinner after his rough season.

Big changes could be coming to the forward unit

The Canucks are almost certainly letting Brock Boeser walk in free agency this offseason. After sharp comments from Allvin and an emotional goodbye at the end of the season, the Minnesota native is all but gone. With no Boeser or Miller, the Canucks won’t have the elite scoring touch they had when they made the playoffs last year. They could make some big trades to open up cap space for the elite free agents available.

Conor Garland is the perfect trade candidate to free up cap space for the Canucks. He is making $4.95 million for next season and then hits free agency. In four years in Vancouver, he has scored between 46 and 52 points in each season. The consistency is impressive and can be valuable, but it shows he cannot take the step forward they need to if they ask him to replace Miller and Boeser.

If Demko and Garland were traded this offseason, the Canucks would have over $26 million in cap space. That is more than enough to make a serious run at Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers. It also opens them up to offer sheet possibilities, with Noah Dobson and Gabe Vilardi highlighting that group. Patrik Allvin has been dealt a bizarre hand with this team, and these trades could help him reset the squad.