Canucks trade deadline targets: How these 7 wingers could aid Vancouver's attack

The Vancouver Canucks have already taken a hybrid approach to the NHL trade deadline.

This team isn’t a classic seller, nor is it a classic buyer. It’s a team that’s picked up the pieces on a dysfunctional season, found a way to make its lineup younger and deeper, and despite the disappointment and drama of the past few months, is still overwhelmingly likely to be a playoff team for a second consecutive season.

Vancouver’s unique positioning was underlined by how the month of January concluded. Just as the calendar was about to flip to February, the Canucks completed two blockbuster trades on the same evening, sending J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and then turning around to buy Marcus Pettersson.

Their pivot on the Miller front is fascinating on a number of levels and may be something of a preview of how the club could handle another situation in the weeks ahead.

Vancouver managed to pick up a top-nine winger in Drew O’Connor while executing the Miller trade, but the Canucks are still short on talent, speed and skill among their forward group. That shortage could be exacerbated further, depending on how they opt to handle Brock Boeser’s situation.

Boeser, the Canucks’ leading goal scorer last season, is a pending unrestricted free agent. It’s possible and even likely that the Canucks could opt to sell the long-tenured 27-year-old winger ahead of the deadline if they’re unable to come to terms with their veteran scoring winger on a contract extension.

Whether the Canucks sell a winger like Boeser over the next several weeks or not, they’ll likely be in the market to bolster their offensive attack. That search could take on additional urgency if they also look to replace the contributions of one of their most dependable goal-scoring threats to compete in the playoffs.

Let’s look at seven potential wing options on the market as we continue our trade deadline targets series.

Michael Rasmussen

Hailing from Surrey, B.C., Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen appeared to be on the verge of breaking out last season.

The big 25-year-old forward converted from centre to wing. Playing primarily along the walls, Rasmussen provided the Red Wings with reliable supporting offence, producing a career-best 33-points in a third-line role as the Red Wings pushed to make the playoffs down the stretch. Rasmussen’s performance and upside earned him a four-year extension. It seemed as if Rasmussen had cemented himself as a fixture in the Red Wings lineup.

This season, however, Rasmussen’s role has diminished. While he’s still producing at a similar clip, he’s being deployed on the fourth line and seeing second-unit power-play time. The quality of his linemates has fallen precipitously, and his offensive impact has gone with it.

At his best, Rasmussen is a big-bodied skill player. Not the most dynamic skater, Rasmussen is the sort of winger who thrives below the hashmarks and leans heavily on puck protection and playing an area game to control play and generate offence. He’s also still a reliable enough centre option in a pinch and actually has tended to have better five-on-five metrics as a pivot.

The Red Wings went into the 4 Nations Face-Off break on something of a heater, and are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, diminishing their incentive to sell. Given Rasmussen’s age and profile and despite his reduced role, he’s one of their better potential trade chips to play, increasing his potential acquisition cost.

Rasmussen, as a result, isn’t necessarily an ideal fit for the Canucks as a potential top-nine upgrade. However, there’s still upside and positional versatility that could be worth chasing from a Vancouver perspective, especially if the club moves a top-six winger of Boeser’s calibre ahead of the trade deadline.

Alex Iafallo

Alex Iafallo was a remarkably consistent middle-six quality winger in L.A. He scored 76 goals and 179 points in 345 games during his last five seasons with the Kings from 2018-2023, which translates to an 18-goal, 42-points-per-82-games rate. Iafallo was a microcosm of the Kings’ team identity in some ways — he lacked flashy, game-breaking skill, but his two-way play was excellent, his work rate was high, he was ultra versatile and he had enough scoring touch to generate shots at an above-average rate and produce at a respectable top-nine clip while primarily riding shotgun with Anze Kopitar.

Unfortunately, the reliable left winger has struggled to find his ideal role in a deep Winnipeg Jets forward lineup since being acquired as a secondary piece in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade.

Iafallo’s production slipped to 11 goals and 27 points last season and he’s on pace for nearly identical offensive numbers this year. His average ice time has slipped below 13 minutes per game, primarily on the fourth line. He’s still been a positive contributor because of his impressive forechecking and defensive results, but his role has been marginalized in Winnipeg and could become even smaller if general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff beefs up his club’s top six at the deadline like he did last year when he acquired Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli.

Iafallo has a good chance at a fresh start and a bigger opportunity. The 31-year-old pending unrestricted free agent would be a more proven top-six fit than O’Connor, who’s never cracked 35 points in a single season. He’d bring that scoring touch while playing with the uptempo forechecking and sharp two-way details Rick Tocchet would covet. Iafallo’s ability to rack up shots at a high volume has declined in Winnipeg, so it’d be worth investigating how much of that could be age-related decline, but you also have to remember he’s played with fourth-line-calibre linemates who are very limited offensively this season. That’s a huge change from L.A. where he played with true top-six centres and it means his offensive generation could realistically rebound if he’s surrounded by more talent again.

The big question regarding Iafallo is how willing the Jets, who are bona fide Stanley Cup contenders, would be to ship him out. Ordinarily, you’d think a contending team would hoard as much forward depth as possible. But if Winnipeg wants to open up extra cap flexibility and add to its arsenal of trade chips (which could go toward making a bigger deadline splash), it could look to monetize Iafallo’s expiring $4 million cap hit, given that he appears to be an expendable depth piece.

Jason Zucker

Zucker would be a strong fit for the Canucks from a pure on-ice standpoint. He’s been one of the Sabres’ best forwards this year, racking up 18 goals and 41 points in 52 games.

The 33-year-old left winger plays a quick, direct game. He’s energetic and tenacious on the forecheck and has done a lot of offensive damage this season from the net-front area. You wouldn’t count on Zucker to drive a line by himself, but his engaged, competitive style means he’s consistently noticeable, rather than the type of complementary winger who can look invisible for long stretches and is overwhelmingly reliant on others to drive the bus.

There’s familiarity here, too: Jim Rutherford paid a hefty price to acquire Zucker back in 2020 when the former was still the Pittsburgh Penguins GM.

The main complication with Zucker is that you’d be buying high because of his incredible play this season. Over the last few years, Zucker has alternated between performing like a surefire top-six forward capable of scoring 25-plus goals and seasons like 2023-24 when he produced more like a run-of-the-mill third-liner.

It wouldn’t be prudent for the Canucks to pay a premium price to acquire Zucker as a rental. Meanwhile, the idea of trading for him and immediately signing him to a contract extension — similar to Marcus Pettersson — would carry significant risk because he’s 33, he’s been injury-prone in the past and some of his underlying metrics indicate he’s benefitted from some positive bounces and may not repeat his production level from this season long-term.

Gustav Nyquist

Gustav Nyquist was an incredible value for the Nashville Predators last season.

Signed as a forgotten man in unrestricted free agency, Nyquist’s first season on Broadway resulted in 75 points in a top-of-the-lineup role. This season, however, the veteran Swedish scoring forward has seen his shot rate plummet, has been unable to buy a bounce at five-on-five, has been entirely marginalized as a power-play contributor and is on pace for fewer than 40 points in a contract year.

Nyquist needs a change of scenery and an opportunity to rebuild his value, and the Predators have largely fallen out of the Western Conference playoff picture. This makes Nyquist a classic trade deadline target, one who may be especially attractive as his lack of production should be expected to lower his acquisition cost.

While Nyquist’s offensive struggles this season have been significant and his rapidly declining shot rate is especially concerning, a fair number of contextual indicators suggest the speedy 35-year-old winger has been snakebitten and should bounce back offensively somewhat. Opportunity, for example, appears to be a larger driver of his diminished production than form, as the Predators brought in scoring wingers like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault this summer, pushing Nyquist off the first power-play unit and down the lineup. His power-play point totals have dropped from 24 points to one point year over year, which tells you more about Nyquist’s usage than his form.

Additionally, the Predators have continued to generate scoring chances at a solid clip with Nyquist on the ice and every forward he has spent at least 100 five-on-five minutes skating with has fared better when skating alongside Nyquist than without him this season. Nyquist’s lack of production is largely based on a precipitous fall in his on-ice shooting percentage and an unsustainably low individual point percentage. Both numbers are likely to normalize going forward, making Nyquist an interesting value buy.

While Nyquist is in his mid-30s now, he remains a cagey offensive winger with meaningful skating speed. He’s not a star contributor by any means, but he can help a team generate scoring chances. That, more than anything, is what Vancouver needs to add to its forward group. If the price is reasonable on adding Nyquist, Vancouver would be hard-pressed to find a better rental piece in its price range.

Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner’s time in Edmonton has been a bumpy ride so far. The six-time 30-goal scorer is on pace for less than 35 points, has averaged just 12:29 per game and has been occasionally healthy scratched.

Edmonton has two or three potential roster needs (a top-four defenceman, a top-six forward and perhaps even a goaltending upgrade) to address ahead of the trade deadline but only a moderate amount of cap space. Could the Oilers consider shedding Skinner’s $3 million cap hit, which expires at the end of this season, to give them more money to play with?

Skinner has a long track record of top-six production — he scored 24 goals in 74 games with the Sabres last season and 82 points in 2022-23. And while his overall point totals this season are underwhelming, his 1.83 points-per-60 rate at five-on-five is within second-line territory. He still has the scoring touch to produce playing high up the lineup and on the power play, but he’s a one-dimensional player who doesn’t forecheck well and has defensive warts. Would that really be a fit under Tocchet?

Other factors complicate this, too. Skinner has a full no-movement clause. He’s also finally given the Oilers a glimmer of hope, scoring three goals and five points in his last six games in a second-line role next to Leon Draisaitl.

Skinner is worth monitoring as a potential buy-low name, but for now, there are likely too many question marks, both from an on-ice fit and off-ice trade logistics perspective.

The Canucks could use a player with Joel Armia’s forechecking ability, right-handed finishing ability and heaviness. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)

Joel Armia

Joel Armia is a big, battle-tested, defensively reliable right winger with some finishing ability. He’s the sort of player who is smart and physically assertive enough to help cause mistakes, and skilled enough to punish them when they occur.

Armia, a pending unrestricted free agent, plays a physical style that tends to play up when space is at a premium in the playoffs. He’s also a solid penalty-killing option and would be a very nice middle-six add for any playoff-bound team at the deadline.

Given his heavy play style and history of being a difference-making depth piece in the playoffs, the 31-year-old Finnish winger is likely to be on the radar of just about every contender during deadline season if the Montreal Canadiens opt to sell. Given his age and the probable value of his next contract, he’s not a great long-term fit for the Canucks, given where the team is currently situated as it enters the post-Miller era.

The Canucks, however, could use a player with Armia’s forechecking ability, right-handed finishing ability and heaviness desperately down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Mathieu Joseph

Joseph has been a frustratingly inconsistent player during his NHL career.

There are times when he flashes tantalizing middle-six potential with his excellent speed, prolific even-strength scoring rate and solid defensive profile/penalty killing. Last season, for example, he scored 31 points at five-on-five in 74 games, which is the type of even-strength production you’d expect from a high-end second-line player. There weren’t any major red flags that indicated he was due for regression, either — his shooting percentage and PDO in 2023-24 were both below his career average, meaning his production wasn’t reliant on lucky bounces.

The Senators traded Joseph as a cap dump to St. Louis (he’s signed through 2025-26 at a $2.95 million AAV) last summer to free up the cap space required to re-sign Shane Pinto. Joseph has slumped to just seven points in 37 games with the Blues this season. It follows a pattern throughout his career where he’ll perform like a top-nine forward for a year, only to fall off shortly after.

Vancouver could target Joseph as a reclamation project if the Blues are willing to retain a bit of his salary and/or attach a sweetener to take his contract on.

It’s probably not a great fit for the Canucks, however, because with O’Connor in the fold, the organization already has a speedy third-line-calibre left winger they’re already betting on, not to mention O’Connor’s heaviness and grit are a better fit for Vancouver.

(Top photo of Kevin Lankinen and Marcus Pettersson defending against Michael Rasmussen: Derek Cain / Getty Images)