Two Names Surface as New York Rangers Hold the Key to Vancouver Canucks' Issue on Defense

Obviously, it would be great if the Vancouver Canucks could go after a former Norris winner like Adam Fox, or captain Jacob Trouba.

The reality is, they do not have the cap space or ability to make room for top names like that.

What the New York Rangers do have, is depth on the blue line that many other teams don't have the luxury of dealing with. This is where the Vancouver Canucks come in.

If the Canucks are too look for a 2nd paining blue liner on the New York Rangers, they will have to look further down the lineup, but the options are still pretty valuable.

The first name that comes to mind is 26 year-old LHD Ryan Lindgren.

Even though the Canucks are more in the need of a right hand shot on the back end, Ryan Lindgren checks a lot of the boxes the Canucks are looking for.

One, Lindgren is a UFA after this season.

Two, he tends to make his impact away from the offensive side of the puck, where his physicality and defensive play label him as a true stay at home defender.

Earning only 4.5 million, his ability to be a reliable defender does not take away his ability to effectively move the puck better than most, which the CAnucks desperately need. (Sorry Soucy and Myers)

The second and more "shiny" option would be to go after K'Andre Miller.

Although having a less than ideal season at both ends of the ice, Miller has already shown glimpses of being a solid top-4 d-man in the NHL.

At just 24 years old, the 6'5» elite skater and left hand shot (I know the Canucks want a RHD...) has a lot of time to find his game again

Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player like Miller to have a season reminiscent of his third season, where he put up 34 assists and 43 points in 79 games.

Fans may get annoyed, or upset about rumors and speculation about trades, but the reality is, there are a lot of viable names for teams like the Vancouver Canucks to go after.

There is no concrete evidence that any of these are garnering attention, but its our job to do the due diligence for fans to understand what potential players could be joining the Canucks.