Why Canucks must trade Kiefer Sherwood amid rumors

The Vancouver Canucks recently expressed interest in changing their personnel in hopes of altering the course of their franchise. It is getting ugly in Vancouver, as the once promising core group is slowly splitting apart at the seams. The rift between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson started the issues last season, and now, captain Quinn Hughes is gradually working himself out of the city’s good graces. Some other players who could get caught in the trading crossfire are Conor Garland and Kiefer Sherwood.

Sherwood has the potential to be a valuable player for a Stanley Cup-contending team. He had his breakout season under Rick Tocchet in the 2024-25 campaign, recording 40 points in 78 games. It was unclear whether Sherwood would experience some regression to the mean this season, but he is currently on pace for 36 goals, which would be a 17-goal increase from his previous career-high.

The Flyers are an obvious candidate to want Sherwood’s services. He would reunite with the head coach who unlocked his potential last season, and his physical style is almost perfectly suited for the city of Philadelphia. Sherwood has the potential to be a fan favorite on their improbable run to the playoffs.

The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders are two other teams that could have an interest in the power forward’s services. The Bruins are sculpting their squad with an old-school approach, and the Islanders, led by the hard-nosed Patrick Roy, need some added depth after Kyle Palmieri’s injury.

The market would be competitive to acquire Sherwood, and that is why the Canucks might not have any choice but to pull the trigger and acquire some assets for him.

Why Canucks must trade Kiefer Sherwood amid rumors

Some of the reported returns on a Sherwood deal are eye-popping, which includes a rumored first-round pick as a starting point for the Bruins and Flyers. While Sherwood is having a solid season for the Canucks, trading a first-round pick would be a risky proposition for these teams, which are teetering on the brink of contending and the draft lottery.

The rumored trades for these teams have some of their beat writers in a tailspin, but reports continue to emerge that the Bruins are in serious talks to acquire Sherwood. If the Canucks can squeeze a first-round pick out of either Boston or Philadelphia for a power forward with a 21.4% shooting percentage, they should consider themselves lucky.

The bad news for the Canucks is that Sherwood’s shooting percentage is already plummeting. He has no goals in his last seven games after starting the year on a hot streak with 12 in 20 games. With the value continuing to fall for Sherwood, the Canucks might want to pull the trigger on a deal before it’s too late.

The argument for waiting was that teams will get even more desperate closer to the trade deadline. However, trading a first-rounder for Sherwood is looking more and more asinine as the games go on. The longer Sherwood’s pointless streak continues, the more unlikely a good return becomes.

If Sherwood’s trade value falls, it becomes more of a conversation about whether to trade him. At a certain point, having Kiefer Sherwood on the roster to change the team’s culture would be more of an asset than trading him for less. However, if any team is willing to give the Canucks a first-round pick between now and March 6, Vancouver should not wait to make that deal.

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