A recent trade proposal with the L.A. Kings has surfaced and it could be an alternative the Canucks consider.
To Los Angeles
- Conor Garland
To Vancouver
Kupari perfectly fits what the Canucks had identified as their target. A 23-year-old centerman who's at the NHL's doorstep, but has not yet reached the level he was meant to be when the Kings selected him in the first round of the 2018 Draft. The Kings have an overload of centermen with Anze Kopitar, Philip Danault, Quinton Byfield, Gabe Vilardi and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, without talking about those who are down in the AHL. He collected 29 points in his young 130 games NHL career. He's an RFA on July 1st, but he'll surely be looking at a bridge deal to prove his worth.
This gets interesting when talking about Cal Petersen, the goaltender who was meant to be the one to take over from the great Jonathan Quick failed so badly that the Kings sent him down the waivers after signing him to a hefty deal. The goaltender carries a $5.0M AAV for the next two years. The Canucks could either take him to be the backup or they could elect to buy him out which would negatively affect the Canucks' cap by $1.16M for the next 4 years.
The reason why this could potentially make sense is that a Conor Garland buyout on the same date would cost the Canucks $1.8M over the next 6 years.
Kupari remains an intriguing player to acquire, however, this can only be a strategy used if the only remaining option for the Canucks is to buy out Garland. The Canucks could still choose to keep Petersen for a year and they buy out only one-year. Given that Tyler Myers is also off the books, this could be a good alternative for the long-term.
SOURCE:Cap Friendly
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