Kiefer Sherwood has been one of the biggest surprises of the Vancouver Canucks’ season, but his breakout could push the team into a tough decision at the trade deadline. According to Darren Dreger from TSN, While there has been some informal conversation between the Canucks and Sherwood’s agent, Judd Moldaver, there have been no official talks about an extension — and there won’t be any time soon.
Sherwood is 30 years old and in the best part of his career, currently on 12 goals this season. That production has taken him from a depth winger to a legitimate impact player. The problem? Vancouver is overloaded on the wings. It’s a big problem to have, until you have to spend time and money on a late bloomer who has never produced at this level before.
Dreger noted that there is no guarantee that Sherwood will be extended, and that he could very well become “legitimate trade fodder” as the deadline approaches.
Trading Sherwood won’t be an easy decision for Canucks management. He has been a game changer. His shooting percentage is still above 30%, his physicality has become a key part of the bottom six and fans chanted his name during games. To say he is popular would be an understatement.
But the hotter he gets, the more teams will throw offers at the Canucks. If they feel they have enough depth to let go of Sherwood and recoup solid assets in a trade, they should consider it.
Speculation suggests his next contract could end up in the $4 million AAV range over four years. That’s a big task for a thirty-year-old who has never scored twenty goals. And if the Canucks have money allocated elsewhere, they might be better off letting someone else pay the big bucks to Sherwood.
Sherwood plays his way to a payday. The only question is whether Vancouver will be the team to give him the deal he deserves.
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