Vancouver Demanding High Draft Pick for Pending Free Agent Forward
The Vancouver Canucks' drama this season likely carry with it some grisly consequences. The Tanner Pearson situation will absolutely affect the club's credibility with its players, and their present and immediate future was already in peril.
This summer GM Patrik Allvin has serious lifting to do, and he will most likely be making some poor, albeit necessary, trades this summer. It's all-but confirmed that Brock Boeser will yield a subprime return and who knows what's happening with Bo Horvat.
One free agent they might actually get a solid return for is forward Andrei Kuzmenko. The first-year 26-year old has 36 points in 40 games and passes both the eye test and the analytics assessment.
Kuzmenko's game has a similar shine that Kirill Kaprizov's had when he debuted in 2020. Vancouver reporter Rick Dhaliwal recently revealed what the Canucks will be asking should they opt to trade Kuzmenko.
Considering Kuzmenko is an unrestricted free agent this summer and the aforementioned drama within the organization, a trade is the most likely outcome. The Canucks do lack leverage, but this guy is good. So good, that a bidding war could incite when he is made available.
Some routine-to-heavy housecleaning is needed in Vancouver, but how deep will owner Francesco Aquilini go?
