Here we go again. It’s trade deadline season and the Vancouver Canucks are selling. They have already traded their captain and leading goal scorer Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, and now everyone is just waiting for the next domino to fall. With everyone not named Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko available for the right price, teams are naturally sniffing around Patrik Allvin and his willingness to deal other pieces like Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, Luke Schenn, and even Thatcher Demko.
In the spirit of that, I am restarting my trade deadline targets series. Leading up to March 3, I will be featuring a team the Canucks could partner with along with some players I feel they should be targeting. So without further ado, let’s get started with the New Jersey Devils and promising defenceman Seamus Casey.
Trade Target: Seamus Casey
Now that Jonathan Myrenberg is in the Boston Bruins organization, the Canucks don’t have any promising right-handed defencemen in their prospect pipeline. The 2023 NHL Draft could change that, but until then, general manager Patrik Allvin will be looking at the trade market to fill that particular need.
After selecting Simon Nemec second overall in 2022 and Luke Hughes sixth overall in 2021, the Devils have a treasure trove of blue chip talent on the blue line. While the Canucks can’t hope to pry either of them away from New Jersey – unless they are willing to trade Quinn Hughes or Elias Pettersson – they might be able to grab a second-tier prospect like Casey.
Drafted 46th overall by the Devils in 2022, Casey has the tools to succeed in the modern NHL. His biggest strength is his skating, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering most smaller defenders excel in that area of the game. Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Jared Spurgeon, and others succeed because of how well they transition the puck out of their own end and into the offensive zone.
What stands out about Casey’s game is his skating ability, as he’s a smooth skater who excels in transition. He has no issue skating the puck out of his own end on a controlled exit, and if he doesn’t, he’ll make a breakout pass to a teammate to do so.
– Alex Chauvancy (from Casey’s 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile)
After lighting it up in his draft year with the United States Development Program (USDP) where he put up 10 goals and 33 points in 48 games, Casey moved on to the NCAA and the vaunted Michigan Wolverines. With four goals and 19 points in 26 games so far, he’s already making a name for himself as a dynamic mobile defenceman capable of getting on the highlight reels.
Related: Canucks News & Rumors: Boeser, Demko, Schenn & More
Modeling his game after another short king in 5-foot-10 Brian Rafalski, who put up multiple 50-point seasons over a long 833-game NHL career, Casey is primed to become another success story in the “undersized” world.
Brian Rafalski is who Seamus learned a lot of his defensive play from…he had a big (influence) on him.
Steve Casey (Seamus’ dad)
I have said in the past that the Canucks need to add more players like Hughes to their defence corps. Casey might not be as offensively gifted as the former Michigan superstar, but he definitely has the upside of a two-way top-four defender that could quarterback the Canucks’ second-unit power play and help the team spend less time in their own zone.
The Canucks likely have seen a lot of him too, as 2020 fifth-round pick Jacob Truscott is currently playing for the Wolverines. As such, I wouldn’t be surprised if Casey was already on their radar as a target from the Devils.
Who Would the Devils Want From the Canucks?
Brock Boeser
Boeser has been in the trade rumours on and off over the last few years, and yet still remains a Canuck. But as the trade deadline creeps closer and closer, it’s becoming clear that his days in Vancouver might be coming to an end. Given permission to search out a trade earlier in the season, his agent Ben Hankinson has reportedly talked to the Devils and Minnesota Wild about a potential deal involving the winger. While the rumor mill is filled with discussions around the Devils and Timo Meier, Boeser might be a cheaper option, both in salary and what they would have to give up to get him on the roster.
Given the fact that Boeser has performed at a high level since Rick Tocchet took over (eight points in 10 games), along with the rumor that the Canucks are now willing to retain as much as $1 million of his salary, the Devils could be convinced to part with a prospect like Casey. He also has term left on his contract, which is something GM Tom Fitzgerald has stated he will be looking for heading into the deadline.
Conor Garland
Another player that falls into that same category is Garland. He too has improved his trade value in recent weeks putting up three goals and eight points in his last 10 games. He has been connected to the Devils in the past, and he’s on a team-friendly $4.95 million average annual value (AAV) contract for the next three years. He’s no Meier, but he would again cost less to acquire and his salary won’t break the Devils’ bank in the coming seasons.
The shifty Garland would fit nicely into the Devils’ top six alongside Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier and bring a work ethic and tenacity that is usually needed in the playoffs. He is also versatile, can play with almost anyone, and fill a role on the power play or penalty kill. All in all, he would be a pretty decent addition for a Devils team that needs some extra offensive depth going into their first postseason appearance in quite some time.
With all the trade rumors swirling around, it’s tough to predict what the Canucks’ roster will look like after March 3. Considering they are now in the bottom five in the league and hold an 8.5 percent chance of winning the right to select phenom Connor Bedard, “tanking” might be the best option. I don’t mean going out there with the mindset of losing, but trading off key pieces to gain more draft picks and prospects. By extension, that makes the team worse and more likely to lose down the stretch. Trading Boeser or Garland to the Devils for a package that includes Casey and maybe a third-round draft pick in 2023 would be a good first step in doing that.