NHL rumors: Canucks ready to make trades after GM commits to rebuild

It’s been a nightmare campaign for the Vancouver Canucks in 2025-26, who currently sit 16-24-5 and dead last in NHL standings after a 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Monday night.

The day before the game, general manager Patrik Allvin admitted to Canucks writer Chris Faber that the team is “transitioning into a rebuild,” the first time he’s used the word this season. It might be high time to embrace a full teardown for a squad that has largely struggled after capturing the President’s Trophy in 2011-12 — and advancing to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final the year before.

Vancouver has made the playoffs just three times since then.

The front office has already moved on from one of the best defensemen in franchise history in Quinn Hughes, and it doesn’t look like they are anywhere close to done ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.

As The Fourth ‘s David Pagnotta reported on Monday, the willingness to go into a full rebuild “seems to have escalated trade discussions with other clubs across the NHL.” Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford are both actively working the phones.

The Canucks have various veteran players that could be dangled as trade bait as management looks to both get younger and deepen the prospect pool with draft picks. It’s expected they will attempt to acquire both types of assets between now and early March, per Pagnotta.

Who else will the Canucks trade this season?

The headliner from a Vancouver perspective is power forward Kiefer Sherwood, who set a career high with 19 goals in 78 games last season and has already managed 17 — the most on the team — in 2025-26.

The pending unrestricted free agent is currently out of action with an undisclosed injury; he’s not expected to sign an extension to remain in British Columbia, per Pagnotta.

The front office is reportedly looking for a first-round pick and an asset in exchange for Sherwood, which is certainly a steep price to pay. Along with the 30-year-old, the Canucks are also listening on Jake DeBrusk, who has struggled this season to the tune of 22 points in 44 games.

The 29-year-old is in just the second season of a seven-year contract, and he owns a full no-movement clause as part of the deal. He’ll have to sign off on any potential trade, but as Pagnotta writes, “sources close to the organization suggest he would be willing to consider a move if presented with the right opportunity.”

Besides Sherwood and DeBrusk, the Canucks could also move on from a plethora of other forwards, including Evander Kane, Conor Garland, Drew O’Connor, Teddy Blueger and David Kampf.

With Hughes now gone and the front office officially waving the white flag on the campaign, it makes sense that management is testing the market now — especially with the Olympic trade freeze in effect from February 4-22.

It’ll be interesting to see which current Canucks players get a change of scenery between now and the first week of March.

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