Boxing Day is designed for buying and selling, and signals the imminent return of normalcy after a few days off.
What’s true in real life is true for the NHL as well. The holiday break is nearly over, and so is the NHL’s roster freeze. In short order, we’ll be back on the hamster wheel that is the regular season. And with the trade deadline just a few months away and the spirit of commerce in the air, it’s an appropriate time to take stock of Vancouver’s trade assets with our seasonal exercise of ranking every Canucks player based on their current trade value.
Now, the Canucks aren’t likely to emerge as an aggressive seller team in the weeks and months ahead, and several of the players listed here have no-move clauses or other trade protections that render their inclusion on this list a purely theoretical exercise.
More than anything it’s an opportunity to think about the value that the club is holding at the NHL level and take inventory of the Canucks’ posture at the spiritual midway point of the season. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ve included every player signed to an active, one-way standard player contract on Vancouver’s books.
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Unicorn tier
1. Quinn Hughes
For the first time since we began conducting this annual exercise, Hughes has elevated himself inarguably into his own tier above the rest of Vancouver’s core players.
Hughes isn’t just this club’s leader or its brightest superstar, he’s also beginning to make a credible case as the best individual defender in the league.
Taking the belt of best defender on the planet, which quite rightly still belongs to Cale Makar, who has a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe Trophy among his gaudy collection of hardware, won’t be easy. Hughes still has considerable distance to travel to get there. That Hughes has a case at all, however, and one that’s increasingly building, is a testament to precisely how singular Hughes has become as a player.
In Hughes, the Canucks have a capital “D” Dude in the lineup every game. A player that impacts the game when he’s on the ice as much as all but about five other skaters in hockey, and all of those other players are forwards. His trade value is incalculable at this point, because frankly, we almost never see players like Hughes get dealt (provided there are years remaining on their deal).
The bona fide core piece tier
2. Elias Pettersson
3. J.T. Miller
4. Filip Hronek
Moving beyond the controversy and speculation that has surrounded Miller and Pettersson over the past week or so, the Canucks’ star centres are bona fide superstars with recent 100-plus point seasons. They’re at that tier of high-end, star-level player where it’s nearly impossible to win a trade involving either, and would demand a massive haul in return if the club ever entertained the concept.
We’re ranking Pettersson ahead of Miller here mostly due to age, but honestly, given what Miller has put on tape as a two-way centre over the past 18 months, there are teams that would rate him more highly than Pettersson. Especially because it’s been a while since Pettersson appeared to be at the apex of his powers.
Also now that the club has long-term contractual certainty on Hronek, with the star defender locked up long-term at a reasonable clip, he enters this core players’ tier. As a right-handed top-of-the-lineup calibre defender with several seasons before he hits 30, Hronek’s ranking also benefits from a significant spike in the trade value of defencemen around the league. There can be no question at the moment that Hronek’s trade value has increased since Vancouver traded for him in March 2023.
The “Thanks, that’s interesting, but we’re committed to this guy” tier
5. Jake DeBrusk
The Canucks made DeBrusk their top target in unrestricted free agency this summer, signing the 28-year-old to a long-term deal with a $5.5 million cap hit that’s poised to age very well if the salary cap rises in a linear fashion over the next several seasons. DeBrusk has come as advertised in Vancouver in his first season, adding speed and shooting efficiency to the lineup. Even as the club’s offence has gone cold over the past several weeks, DeBrusk’s ability to convert on loose change down low and help his line generate shots has been something the club could rely on.
Any team calling about DeBrusk would find that their conversation with Canucks management would be pretty short.
The “I’ll hear you out, but if this leaks to Rick Dhaliwal I’m denying it” tier
6. Brock Boeser
The Canucks have a decision to make in regards to Boeser, a pending unrestricted free agent who understandably hasn’t found his A-game right off the hop since returning from a concussion sustained by a reckless, dangerous hit thrown by Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot in early November.
Boeser is Vancouver’s best overall winger. He’s a high-IQ two-way forward with the size and reliability to play in a matchup role and still produce offence, with his shot a standout elite skill. Though he’s only surpassed 30 goals in a season on one occasion — last year, when he totalled 40 goals — Boeser has scored at a 30-goal, 65-points-per-82-game pace ever since he entered the league. If he hits the open market, he’ll be one of the top unrestricted free agents this summer.
Vancouver’s current management group historically gets deep into extension talks with key pending UFAs following their midseason meetings in January. If that pattern holds in Boeser’s case, we can expect that his future will be a major priority for the Canucks to stickhandle in the weeks and months leading up to the trade deadline.
It’s clear that Boeser enjoys playing in Vancouver, and has impressed head coach Rick Tocchet and Canucks management with his overall reliability and adaptability as a player. We’ll see where this one goes pending extension talks, but if the two sides can’t come to terms and Vancouver decides they can’t afford to risk keeping an expiring star player beyond the trade deadline, Boeser would instantly become one of the hottest commodities on the rental market.
The polarized value tier
7. Thatcher Demko
8. Conor Garland
9. Dakota Joshua
The polarized value tier is for players that some teams would part with significant assets for a chance to acquire — realistically all of the players in this tier could net a first-round pick, and maybe that and more, from the right trade partner — but other teams would be deeply wary of paying retail price to add to their roster.
Coming off his unprecedented knee injury, Demko’s value might be at something of a low ebb. That said with his age, upside and track record, provided he stays healthy over the balance of this season, he’d surely have comparable trade value to what Jacob Markström and Linus Ullmark carried last season going into the expiring years of their contracts this summer (that’s a first-round pick and more).
Despite his consistent five-on-five production and play driving ability, Garland remains an acquired taste for some teams due to his size and unconventional profile. His performance in the playoffs last spring, however, went a long way in answering any “But can he do it against heavy teams in the playoffs?” questions that undersized players are so often dogged by in the NHL. The right types of suitors, teams that value hard skill in whatever form it comes in, would likely value Garland as an affordable top-six forward with top-line utility — a valuable commodity on the trade market.
After missing training camp and the first handful of weeks of this season due to surgery undergone following a testicular cancer diagnosis in the summer, Joshua is still working his way back to the form he demonstrated last season. Of late he’s demonstrated the physicality and forechecking acumen that made him such an impactful piece for the Canucks last season, culminating in him excelling as a top-six option in the playoffs. The context surrounding his slow start and the uniqueness of his profile make him the sort of forward that just about every NHL team would line up to buy on if he were ever made available on the trade block.
The high-end reclamation project tier
10. Nils Höglander
It’s been a tough go for Höglander this season. The shifty, hardworking forward won a top-six role with the Canucks out of training camp and signed a three-year extension carrying a $3 million cap hit. But after a strong start to the year, he’s found himself relegated to irregular status over the past month. Höglander has been in and out of the lineup and has often played fewer than 10 minutes in games when he’s dressed.
Despite his usage and effectiveness trending in the wrong direction, Höglander’s production, high motor and contractual certainty would make him an appealing gamble for all kinds of teams if he were available on the trade market. Some rebuilding teams would view him as a worthwhile reclamation project, a player who can help now and grow with a young group. Some win-now teams, meanwhile, would look at him as an affordable short-term answer at a lower cap hit, with long-term value.
Höglander may be out of favour in Vancouver at the moment, but make no mistake, there’s high regard for his potential, skill and hustle around the league.
The “This better be good if you’re asking about him” tier
11. Tyler Myers
12. Carson Soucy
13. Kiefer Sherwood
14. Teddy Blueger
The trade market for defenders is hot, which is why Myers and Soucy rank so highly here. Both Myers and Soucy are massive defenders with experience logging matchup minutes for a winning team in the top four, and that’s just about the hottest commodity in the sport at the moment. Myers’ new contract — which carries a full no-movement clause through this year and next — also falls at a level cap-wise where it would enhance his value rather than restrict it.
Sherwood was one of the hardest players to rank on this list. His sky-high hit rate, appealing value contract and against the grain goal scoring threat he provides would be prized by just about every NHL contender. I originally considered ranking him ahead of Höglander, but it was pointed out to me by several league sources I polled in building this list that while Sherwood’s value would be high for contending teams, Höglander would likely have a larger pool of potential buyers given his age and potential upside.
Quality reliable centres are always at a significant premium on the trade market and Blueger has cemented himself as a stalwart bottom-six option across his season and a half in Vancouver. He’d have a long list of suitors, and would likely net a quality future from a contending team if he were ever made available on the trade market.
Pius Suter has been a versatile and effective forward for the Canucks since joining the team. (Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)
The quality rental tier
15. Pius Suter
16. Derek Forbort
17. Kevin Lankinen
In this tier, we find a trio of useful Canucks veterans on expiring contracts, who would all net solid draft picks in return if they were moved ahead of the trade deadline.
Suter headlines this list as a versatile middle-six forward capable of effectively filling in at centre. If the Canucks opted to move Suter as a deadline rental, it’s likely that the bidding would start at a second-round pick and it’s possible that the Canucks could net even more than that on the market. That Suter came up clutch for Vancouver in its 2024 playoff run, giving him that “proven playoff performer” label would only boost his value.
Defensive depth, especially defensive depth with size, a reasonable cap hit and penalty killing value, is always in demand at the NHL trade deadline. Forbort would likely net a mid-rounder if he were to be available around the deadline.
Midseason goaltending additions are relatively rare during trade deadline season, and the price vacillates widely. While the Canucks value Lankinen highly, his steady performance in significant run in the early part of this season and reasonable cap hit would be attractive to a goaltending-needy contender on the trade market.
The reclamation project tier
18. Artūrs Šilovs
Although Šilovs has struggled at the NHL level this season, talent evaluators around the league remember his work steadying the Canucks in the 2024 playoffs and his demonstrated excellence on the international stage — neither of which occurred all that long ago. An unproven NHL goaltender is never going to have significant value, but given Šilovs’ precocious development, athleticism and big game track record, there’d be teams that wouldn’t hesitate to part with a mid-range future asset if they had an opportunity to take on his one-way contract.
The expensive depth contributor tier
19. Danton Heinen
20. Vincent Desharnais
The expensive depth contributor tier applies to trades like the one the Canucks made with Anthony Beauvillier for a fifth-round pick in November 2023. For Heinen and Desharnais, the money and term remaining on their deals, and the relatively low leverage roles they hold down, would restrain their value somewhat. It wouldn’t entirely eliminate it, however. Neither player would likely clear waivers, for example.
If the Canucks decided to part with either player they’d likely be able to return a late-round draft pick, and perhaps more if retention was involved or if Vancouver was taking salary back, for example.
The replacement level depth tier
21. Erik Brännström
22. Nils Åman
23. Mark Friedman
This tier is reserved for players who would clear waivers (in fact, all three players have cleared waivers this season) but could be moved for like depth players without the club having to take on additional money to incentivize a trade partner to take on their contract.
The slight negative value tier
24. Guillaume Brisebois
25. Akito Hirose
Just a few years ago when we did this exercise the Canucks would have a long list of negative value contracts. Now the list is only two names long, and the negative trade value involved is minimal. Brisebois and Hirose are on relatively expensive one-way contracts, and teams don’t typically want to take on that level of salary for AHL regulars.
(Photo of Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
