NHL Trade Deadline: Vancouver Canucks

February 25 2011 Last updated at 02:12 PM ET

At first glance, Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis has few concerns about his team's play.

The Canucks are sitting comfortably in first place in the Western Conference and have a good chance at locking up top spot overall, too. But, with a little over $800,000 in salary cap space remaining, he must answer one key question: Can the Canucks win now and stay strong for the future?

Gillis abhors trading, but if he does not act, he risks losing three veteran defensemen -- Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo and Christian Ehrhoff -- to unrestricted free agency in the summer. He also risks going into the playoffs with a lack of secondary scoring as the Canucks have the best chance at a Cup in their 40-year history.

O, yeah, it might help if he acquired a defenseman or two as insurance. Last summer, it looked like Gillis would be forced to trade a veteran blue-liner to remain under the salary cap. But in July, Salo suffered yet another one of his freak injuries and, after remaining healthy before Christmas, other rearguards started going down on a regular basis.

Now, Gillis might not have a choice but to make a trade. In last year's playoffs, Vancouver's defense corps was also decimated by injuries that led to a second-round elimination to eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago.

NEEDS

A healthy, durable veteran defenseman plus secondary scoring. Unloading defenseman Keith Ballard and his hefty contract, which has four years remaining at $4.2 million per, should be a priority. Ballard's play is not justifying the expense, but he is still marketable and could fetch some decent talent or prospects in return. Mason Raymond, a fixture on the second line, is well below the career-high 25 goals he scored in 2010-11 and should also go, considering his sub-par playoff performance a year ago. But he is likely to stay.

If an attractive offer for backup goaltender Cory Schneider comes up, Gillis should seriously consider it. Schneider has demonstrated that he can excel at the NHL level, and at least three teams -- New Jersey, Toronto and Florida -- need to usher in new starting goaltenders.

THE VERDICT

Buy. As long as at least one of the three UFAs is signed or traded before July 1, the Canucks will be okay. Vancouver needs a healthy defenseman and more secondary scoring -- now -- but Gillis can't risk disrupting the chemistry of a Stanley Cup contender. It's less disruptive to bring in a player for a draft choice or prospect than it is to trade away a player who is popular with his teammates. A rental player in return for a pick, prospect or future considerations won't cause a mutiny in the room. Also, it's well known that Schneider's departure is inevitable because of Roberto Luongo's 12-year contract. This might be a time to get maximum value for Schneider before more goaltenders come on the market in the summer.

Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/nhl-trade-deadline-vancouver-canucks/

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