Canucks Ready To Make A Trade & Upgrade Center Position Immediately

The Vancouver Canucks are one of the weaker teams down the middle this season. The team traded away J.T. Miller during last season and lost Pius Suter in free agency, leaving them with just Elias Pettersson, who has to find his game, Filip Chytil, who has injury concerns and isn't a proven 2C, Teddy Blueger, and a number of young and unproven options for the fourth line.

The Canucks not only have playoff hopes, but hope to be in contention this season. A lot of things have to go right, especially on the injury front. But room was made so that Vancouver could upgrade and it hasn't come yet. Jack Roslovic is a 2C/3C option and the only free agent player available that could be an upgrade, but the trade market seems like the best bet for the Canucks to make the improvement that they need.

Thomas Drance reported that "the club is actively kicking tires and exploring its options. Vancouver would execute a trade today if the deal returned a credible middle-six center."

That may mean that the Canucks are willing to part with some of their future in order to get into contention now. A big part of this is convincing Quinn Hughes that Vancouver is a team that can win and be competitive season after season. The team has two years to convince him, so it makes sense and is a good idea to package away some of the future to jump back up to contenders and have a run at it for two years before Hughes becomes a UFA.

Drance also reported that while Vancouver is still in the market to land a center, "the trade market is viewed as a more likely and realistic route." He added that "the Canucks have cooled significantly on the prospect of adding Roslovic."

There are some RFAs out there that remain unsigned and could be a game-changer for the Canucks, but those players like Marco Rossi or Mason McTavish still have time to sign and are more likely to get short-term deals with their current teams and remain put, not be moved. The Anaheim Ducks would definitely hike the price of McTavish if Vancouver were to reach out too as they are both in contention for a playoff spot in the same division.

The Canucks are still active, and although nothing has come from their search for a center upgrade yet, there is time and the team can still add during the season.