There has been an expectation for a while now that the Canucks will look to move the final year and $6M that Tyler Myers has remaining on his contract in an effort to free up some cap space this summer. In a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Sharks are a team that’s believed to have discussed a Myers trade with Vancouver to the point that there has been a deal on the table for several weeks now.
It’s worth noting that Myers has a $5M signing bonus that is payable in the new league year. For many players, the payment date for those bonuses is July 1. However, Myers is one of the exceptions with his bonus believed to be payable in mid-September. With that in mind, it’s possible that this could be the hold-up in a swap, but Seravalli suggested that this isn’t necessarily the case.
The 33-year-old looked to be a two-way threat when he first came to the NHL with his best two offensive seasons coming during his first two years with Buffalo. However, he has become more of a defense-only player, especially in recent years as he has managed just a single goal in each of the last two years with Vancouver.
However, he has logged more than 20 minutes per game throughout his career, and while he may be better suited for a lower role at this point, the fact he can still cover tough minutes might be appealing to a team like San Jose, which isn’t exactly loaded with proven blueliners and is trying to move their top one in Erik Karlsson. In-season, he’ll have a prorated salary of just $1M, which could only help from a trade value perspective.
Considering what the market has been for teams looking to dump salary, Vancouver shouldn’t be expecting much of a return, if any, to clear Myers off the books. But if they do have a viable option on the table to take on the contract, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take it, either now or even if they have to wait until closer to training camp when the bonus is paid off. If a deal is either done or agreed on in principle, Vancouver could be a team to watch for when the market opens.
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