The Canucks are considering blowing things up and hitting the reset button.
Vancouver is off to a sluggish start to the 2025-26 NHL season, and as a result, they may well already be looking towards the future.
A Monday night report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said that the Canucks are making their veteran players available for trade, though there was one notable omission from that group: Quinn Hughes.
“They’ve made it clear (trading Hughes) is not their priority right now,” Friedman reported for Sportsnet Monday, while also noting that fellow defenseman Filip Hronek was unlikely to be traded.
The Canucks are 9–12–2 through their first 23 games. Friedman’s report comes one day after Vancouver was bested by the Flames, another team at the bottom of the standings, 5–2 at home. The Canucks have lost three in a row, and six of their last seven games.
Among the veteran players who could potentially be available are impending free agents such as Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, Kiefer Sherwood, and Derek Forbort, among some others.
As for Hughes, the 26-year-old defenseman has one more year on his contract beyond the 2025-26 season. He’s making $7.85 million per season as part of the six-year deal he signed in 2021. Since Hughes has been in Vancouver, the organization has made the playoffs just twice, despite him emerging as one of the best defenders in the sport.
The Canucks, at least for now, appear determined to hold onto Hughes, who’s viewed as a franchise cornerstone. If they do opt to fully dive into a rebuild, however, it’s possible their stance shifts, as he’d undoubtedly be their most valuable trade asset. This season, Hughes has 21 points in 18 games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canucks Reportedly Make Veteran Players Available for Trade, With One Key Omission.
