It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re nearing the Christmas season and the start of 2025. There’s plenty of shopping activity, but general managers are also scrambling as well. The roster freeze is coming in less than a week. This means every general manager will be trying to make some deals. One team that may be making some deals is the Vancouver Canucks. This edition of NHL rumours talks about one blueliner that could be on the move.
All NHL rumours come from the original source.
NHL Rumours
Vancouver Canucks Could Move Blueliner Soon
Rumour: On Saturday night’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman said that the Canucks are trying to find a better fit for Vincent Desharnais.
Saturday Headlines: https://t.co/rbygiDgGFi
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 15, 2024
Analysis: Things have not worked out for Desharnais in his first season with the club. The 28-year-old only has two assists in 17 games with the club. Friedman said that that there hasn’t been a good fit for the Canucks and that management is going to find him a better one.
Friedman first mentioned that Vancouver is considering a deal for Desharnais in his written 32 Thoughts column on Friday. However, he mentioned this on air during the traditional segment between the second and third periods of the HNIC opener.
General manager Patrik Allvin has a history of moving players that haven’t worked out with the franchise. He and president Jim Rutherford won’t hang onto a player that seemingly doesn’t fit into the plans. It does seem like a good business to try and spin a player that’s not featuring into something tangible.
What It Means
We did mention that the Canucks are looking for a defenceman due to the injury of Filip Hronek in a previous edition of NHL rumours. However, it doesn’t seem like Desharnais has a place in the lineup.
Friedman usually hedges his bets when he talks about deals. However, he used concrete language when it came to a deal for Desharnais. The Sportsnet insider doesn’t usually talk like that unless some talks have been had.
Allvin and Rutherford haven’t been afraid to make a deal when it comes to their roster. This likely means Desharnais could be on the way out.
The Trade Market
The blueliner currently makes $2 million for this season and the next one. His contract should be easy to move because of the relative value.
The Laval, Quebec native is a big body at 6-foot, 7-inches tall and around 225 pounds. He’s also a righthanded shot and can play defence, which makes him a commodity in a market starved for blueliners.
Desharnais was a decent part of the Edmonton Oilers‘ defence that was one game away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. He could still be useful to a team that needs a big body. The blueliner did get some interest in the free agent market and likely has some trade value.
There should be a wide variety of suitors that should be answering Allvin’s calls to get the defenceman on the roster. It doesn’t seem likely that the Canucks will have to do any throw-ins as part of the deal. Moving Desharnais should be easy, but it requires the right deal.
Main photo by: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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