What’s Really Going On With Canucks' Tyler Myers?

If you’ve followed enough trade deadlines, you know the code words. When a team scratches a veteran for “roster management purposes,” it’s almost always the same thing — they don’t want a possible trade piece getting hurt. That’s exactly where Tyler Myers has landed. Canucks coach Adam Foote didn’t dance around it either. He basically said, “Yep, this is the time of year when these things happen.” No mystery, no secrets. Just the business side of hockey showing its face.

Myers' season has mirrored the Canucks' season.

Tyler Myers’ season has pretty much mirrored the entire Canucks group: stretches of steadiness, stretches of chaos, and long nights where you’re never quite sure which version you’ll see. He hasn’t recorded a point in 21 games, which doesn’t help his trade value, but he’s still a big right-shot defender. That kind of player always gets attention at the deadline — maybe not from every team, but a few contenders looking for depth or injury insurance will always take notice. And with salary retention or the right contract swap, he’s movable.

That’s why Wednesday’s scratch made sense. Vancouver might believe it needs picks and prospects more than it needs veteran placeholders finishing out the season. If you’re rebuilding or retooling, you don’t let potential value walk out the door for nothing. So when Myers sat against Winnipeg, the assumption was he was halfway out the door.

But then things got a little weird.

Myers has travelled to Seattle with the Canucks. But he probably won't play.

According to several reports, Myers is travelling with the Canucks to Seattle. He skated on his own on Friday. He’s still listed as “not injury related.” He’s expected to be on the road — yet he’s also not expected to play. That opens the door to two possibilities.

Either a trade fell through at the last minute, or Myers declined to waive his no-movement clause. At his age, with family considerations and limited time left playing, that wouldn’t be shocking. A lot of veterans look at the rental market and decide to stay put rather than join a contender for six weeks and uproot again.

The reality is the Canucks don’t seem sure what comes next. They’d like to make a deal. Myers is clearly available. But between his point drought, his contract, his no-movement protection, and the tight deadline timeline, nothing is guaranteed.

Will the Canucks move Myers or not?

So here we are: scratched but travelling, available but not moved, practicing but not playing. It’s classic deadline limbo.

If Myers does get traded, it’ll be for modest but useful futures. If he doesn’t, he’ll finish the year in Vancouver. Who knows then what will happen? Either way, this is business. With Myers, the human side and the hockey side are tugging in different directions.