Canucks fans would say decline. Front office wouldn't be tempted either. No chance the Canucks 2023 1st will be moved unless it's in a deal for one of Fox, Makar, McAvoy, Jiricek, or Nemec (none of which will happen).

Uhh no. Wing is the last of the Blues' needs and you're not getting that 1st.

Then why are the Blues taking flyers on Kapanen at 3.2M and Vrana? That says otherwise how they feel about wing. Don't disagree that the pick is valuable though. You just have to pay something to get a PPG player. If the Blues are going with a deeper, longer-term rebuild, then keeping the pick makes sense.

Agreed, you don't get any of those players for what's likely to be #9 or #10 OA. You also don't get to cap dump your way out of cap hell without paying a steep price either. I get the preference for keeping the pick, but isn't the prevalent rumor that the Canucks are "not rebuilding?"



Then why are the Blues taking flyers on Kapanen at 3.2M and Vrana? That says otherwise how they feel about wing. Don't disagree that the pick is valuable though. You just have to pay something to get a PPG player. If the Blues are going with a deeper, longer-term rebuild, then keeping the pick makes sense.

Agreed, you don't get any of those players for what's likely to be #9 or #10 OA. You also don't get to cap dump your way out of cap hell without paying a steep price either. I get the preference for keeping the pick, but isn't the prevalent rumor that the Canucks are "not rebuilding?"

Problem is the Canucks aren't in cap hell at all. Their cap problems came from Horvat needing a raise, and with him gone they don't have a pressing need to be needlessly giving up their most valuable assets to dump cap. They currently have $6 mil in cap space next season to sign Bear, Dermott, and Kravtsov. Bear probably costs around $2 mil, Dermott around $1.5 mil, and Kravtsov around $1 mil. That leaves them with a 22 man roster and $1.5 mil to sign a 23rd man. Roster looks as such:

Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Beauvillier
Mikheyev - Miller - Boeser
Podkolzin - Dries - Garland
Joshua - Studnicka - Kravtsov

Hughes - Hronek
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Myers

Demko
Martin

Aman - Brisebois - 23rd Man

While the Canucks aren't rebuilding, they also aren't top contenders. They are retooling. Just because you aren't in a full rebuild doesn't mean you have to trade every single one of your draft picks. Like everyone else, Canucks management have said they are very high on this year's draft class, and I don't think there's a chance they'd be looking to move any more 2023 picks after what they gave up for Hronek.