As per a report by David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, the Vancouver Canucks have officially started telling teams that defenseman Nate Schmidt is available for trade. A player the Canucks expected a lot more from, he really was not a good fit in their defensive system and his numbers dropped the moment he suited up for the team. Perhaps realizing they made a mistake, or Schmidt is better off in another uniform, Canucks’ GM Jim Benning is trying to correct his mistake.
Pagnotta writes: “One name you’ll see on the list is Vancouver’s Nate Schmidt. Doesn’t sound like things have worked out and we’re told he is on the block. He has 4-years left at $5.9M AAV and a 10-team no-trade list.”
Schmidt came to the Canucks last offseason when the Canucks “scooped” him up at almost no cost because the Vegas Golden Knights needed to make room for Alex Pietrangelo via free agency. It appeared to be an astute move by the Canucks to pay next to nothing for the player. The only concern was his cap hit. Not cheap in a flat cap salary NHL marketplace, if Schmidt didn’t pan out (there was no thought he would struggle so mightily), it was possible the Canucks might have trouble moving his contract. On a team that already had big contracts that were likely hard to shake, adding another was a gamble. The reality is now, the Canucks are selling low and are trying to trade a contract that could be tough to move.
Should The Canucks Just Hang On To Schmidt?
There is an argument being made by many in Vancouver that the Canucks should hold onto Schmidt for one more season. His not fitting into the system might have been the result of no training camp, and no practices for the first half of the year. It was a rough year for the Canucks who were wiped out by COVID later in the campaign and he was learning a new system in the worst possible conditions.
If he has a bounce back year, the Canucks will have appreciated hanging onto him. Or, if worse comes to worse, they can trade him when his value is a bit higher and he’s got one less year on his deal and teams are one year closer to the salary cap possibly creeping back up.
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