Buying out OEL leaves a great void in the Canucks' defensive group, even more so since Ethan Bear's recent surgery (and he has yet to sign a new deal) will keep him out of business until December at the very least. The Canucks will be on the market for a defenseman, and an interesting trade proposal was drawn up between the Canucks and the Avalanche to fix that issue:
To Vancouver
To Colorado
- Conor Garland
- Jack Rathbone
- 2023 3rd Round Selection VAN
The lack of offensive output is probably what led to the Avs losing in 7 games to the Kraken in this year's playoffs' first round. Conor Garland is known to be an effective 5-on-5 forward and could really help in that department. Rathbone could potentially fill Girard's role since Girard has become the outcast on their blueline due to their outstanding depth with Cale Makar, Devon Toews and most recently, Bowen Byram.
Girard is experienced but still very young yet since he's only 25. He's signed for 4 more years at a $5M AAV and is an excellent two-way puck-moving defenseman. He's already taken part in 416 regular season games and recorded 37 points in 76 games in the most recent season. Girard would be an excellent suitor to take top minutes on the team's second pair and would be an ideal matchup for the team's 2nd power-play unit alongside Filip Hronek.
He isn't the biggest defenseman, as he stands at 5'10'' and 175 pounds, but he's proven to be quite efficient regardless, as proven by the results he's shown for the Avs over the years.
The Canucks have been trying to move Garland for quite some time now. Jack Rathbone looks like he's fallen out of favors, even though he stills has lots of potential and a 3rd Round Pick to seal it. Is this something Allvin should consider?
POLL | ||
Is this a trade Allvin should consider? | ||
100% yes | 283 | 45.6 % |
No | 201 | 32.4 % |
Too big of a price | 136 | 21.9 % |
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