Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin has been actively pursuing upgrades for his squad, including calling the New York Rangers about forward Chris Kreider. According to Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks indicated interest after the Rangers apparently looked into the markets for Kreider and Jacob Trouba, the latter of whom was moved to the Anaheim Ducks over the weekend.
However, Vancouver’s pursuit seems to have been short-lived. Kreider’s 15-team no-trade clause is likely to include the Canucks, putting an early halt to any potential negotiations.
It is unclear whether the trade request was related to J.T. Miller’s position or to speculations that the Rangers contacted the Canucks about Miller’s availability. The Canucks have denied that they are looking to deal Miller, thus the two teams being linked in other trade talks could have been intended as completely unrelated conversations.
Kreider, 32, has a $6.5 million salary hit for the next two seasons following 2024-25, making his contract difficult for multiple teams to digest. While Vancouver has $6.3 million in budget space with Filip Hronek on LTIR, accommodating Kreider’s salary would necessitate additional roster changes.
The Canucks’ interest in Kreider is consistent with their need for seasoned scoring, but it is intriguing considering Vancouver’s clear need to improve their blue line.
Canucks Don’t Have Much of Anything Brewing on the Trade Front
As of now, the Canucks are still actively seeking to enhance their squad, but they have been quieter on the trade front. Things aren’t moving as swiftly as they did last season, when they had made four transactions by this point, and one could argue that there is a greater immediate need.
While their pursuit of Kreider did not succeed, Vancouver is not given up. Jim Rutherford is noted for being both active and combative. If there is a door to knock on or a stone to turn, he is probably doing it. The two are attempting to complete a task while Allvin works the phones.
Canucks supporters may expect more trade rumors in the coming weeks as the team strives to remain competitive.
