The Canucks look ready to make a trade soon, with names like Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser already sitting in the market.
One Canucks voice put a trade at a near-certainty, pointing to a team clearly trying to unload contracts and cut money.
The expectation doesn't come from nowhere.
The groundwork is real and documented. Vancouver finished 32nd, dead last, and has spent the week telegraphing a sell-off.
GM Ryan Johnson, who, is running a front office under pressure to cut money and reshape the roster fast.
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The reporting that backs the fan expectation
The credible voices line up with the mood. Nick Kypreos said the Canucks could retain salary and want picks and prospects, while Elliotte Friedman said the new management is open to a futures-based return.
More pieces are clearly moving. David Pagnotta reported teams poking around Boeser, and Rick Dhaliwal said Teddy Blueger and Derek Forbort are headed for free agency.
The likely chips are obvious. Pettersson at $11.6M and Boeser at $7.25M are the natural candidates to move for futures. The keepers are defined too, with Thomas Drance saying Filip Hronek isn't going anywhere.
That mix tells you the plan. Johnson's group is sorting the roster into go and stay piles, which is exactly how a 32nd-place team rebuilds.
The calendar sharpens it. With the draft just wrapped and free agency at the door, this is when a reset team strikes. The fan read isn't wishful, it's reading the schedule.
Here's my read: the expectation is reasonable. Everything the credible reporters have said points to Vancouver dealing, and soon. Whether it's literally the next day is a fan's confidence, but the direction is real, and Johnson has every reason to keep cutting.
So from the stands, it feels like a matter of when, not if.
Which veteran moves first, and what comes back, is the open question. The groundwork is laid. The next domino is the deal itself.
Will Ryan Johnson's Canucks complete a trade within the next day or two?
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