Before last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, Tyler Myers was a late scratch for “trading reasonssaid Rick Dhaliwal of the Donnie and Dhali Show. Many other insiders also confirmed his report that the Canucks kicked him out of yesterday’s game because they want to move him. Which brings us to the question of what Vancouver could get for a player like Myers and when a trade could be completed?
Don’t expect a big return
Myers has been useful throughout his time with the Canucks organization. He began his career with Vancouver in 2019, when he signed with the team as a free agent under then-general manager Jim Benning. Since then, he’s done everything this organization has asked of him, but he’s now proven to be a solid defender, and on a Stanley Cup-contending team, he can even be a healthy scratch at times.
Myers also has complete control over where he is traded as he currently has a full movement clause. Given where he currently is in his career and what he will bring to a playoff team, I don’t expect him to net the Canucks anything more than a mid-round pick. That said, with the Canucks last in the NHL, any assets acquired in a trade are worth it as the team should get as many draft picks or prospects as they can.
Over the past several drafts, Vancouver has done very well at drafting players in the mid to late rounds. In 2023, the club called up both Ty Mueller and Vilmer Alriksson, who have been key contributors for the Abbotsford Canucks both this season and last. Mueller likely would have gotten more NHL experience this season had he not been injured, and Alriksson could play some games toward the end of this season.
In 2024, they selected Riley Patterson in the fourth round, who is currently lighting up the Ontario HOckey League with the Niagara IceDogs as he has scored 34 goals and 72 points in 49 games. In that same draft, they selected overager Anthony Romani, who is having a stellar freshman season at Michigan State in the NCAA, with 24 points in 30 games. Vancouver may not get a super attractive package for Myers, but they can make the most of the picks they will inevitably get.
Myers effect on the group
Myers’ seemingly inevitable departure will have a major effect on the Canucks’ current defensive core. Newly acquired defenseman Zeev Buium spoke about the potential of a Myers trade, proverb”I don’t know how this all works, but I love him. He’s been great to me since day one, he texts me, makes me feel comfortable. Little things on the ice, systems. Speaks volumes about who he is.” For Buium to say this about a veteran teammate he has only known for a short time shows what kind of man Myers is in a locker room. It shows how many of his teammates will miss him if he is moved.
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But Myer’s departure will leave room for other members of the team to step up and become leaders. Take a player like Buium, who is currently on his entry-level contract and appears to be a Canuck in the near future. I expect him to sign a big extension with the club in the future, but now could be his time to step up and try to fill Myers’ shoes by taking on a leadership role. Several other defenders like Marcus Pettersson and Filip Hronek, and even young guys like Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson, can go a step further. One person being trafficked often becomes someone else’s opportunity to fill the void he or she left behind. Whether on or off the ice, someone has to become the leader that Myers was.
Myers’ time in Vancouver is most likely coming to an end, and the Canucks can take advantage of that. They can recoup whatever assets they can and do what they’ve done in the past, which is find good players in the middle of the draft. It will also be a way for them to spark the blueline youth movement and get younger defensemen more minutes. It’s hard to let a leader like Myers go, but this is part of the business. Sometimes you just have to move on.
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