The Vancouver Canucks are likely going to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline and that means assets out the door for immediate help. With an abundance of unrestricted free agents in the offseason, president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrick Allvin might feel the need to go “all in” and try for a championship this season rather than down the line. Well, that would be a mistake, especially if it requires giving up one or more blue-chip prospects to acquire someone like Jake Guentzel, Elias Lindholm or Joel Eriksson Ek. With that said, here are two that should not be on the table at the deadline.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki
While Jonathan Lekkerimaki has yet to play in the NHL, his ceiling is a top-line winger that has the potential to score 40 goals in his prime. The Canucks don’t have any other prospect that has that type of offensive potential, and if the team’s success continues past this season, they won’t get another one for a very long time. Going into his draft year in 2022, he was considered a top-10 pick by many outlets mostly because of his elite shot and puck-handling abilities. After he was drafted by the Canucks 15th overall, he unfortunately contracted mono and that set him back for a few months. He recovered from the illness but suffered a concussion before the 2023 World Junior Championship (WJC). He returned in time for the tournament but struggled to find his footing with only four points in seven games.
Then, only a month later, Lekkerimaki was shut down for the regular season due to a foot injury that required eight weeks to heal. He just couldn’t catch a break during his draft-plus-one season and finished with only three goals and nine points in 29 games. But then the qualification playoffs came around and he started to look more like his old self. He dominated with five goals and 15 points in 15 games and nearly led Djurgardens IF back to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), but fell short in Game 7 to MoDo.
Lekkerimaki used those playoffs as a springboard to this season as he joined Orebro in the SHL and quickly began his redemption tour with three goals in his first three games. By the time the World Juniors began in December, he was near the top of the leaderboard in goals with 10 and was ready to lead his country to their first gold medal since 2012. He did everything he could to make that happen too with seven goals and 10 points in seven games, including a goal in the gold medal game. Unfortunately, Team Sweden ended up losing 6-2 to Team USA. Lekkerimaki won tournament MVP honours and was named to the media all-star team, but missed out on his final chance at World Junior gold.
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Lekkerimaki’s performance in the SHL and the World Juniors this season should remove any doubt that he is a blue-chip prospect and the best chance at an Elias Pettersson repeat in the NHL. With his elite offensive arsenal that includes a lethal wrist shot, one-timer, snapshot and soft hands, he has a very legitimate chance of scoring 40 or more goals in the NHL. He put himself back on the map at this year’s WJC and could be lighting up the American Hockey League as soon as next season (or this season depending on how Orebro does). The package would have to be pretty massive for it to be okay to trade him right now.
Tom Willander
Similar to Lekkerimaki at forward, the Canucks don’t have any blue-chip prospects on defence other than Tom Willander. Hunter Brzustewicz is making a case to enter that conversation with his insane season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), but it’s a little too early to put that label on him yet. There are still questions about his defence that need to be ironed out before that happens. Willander, on the other hand, has already established himself as a solid two-way presence on the backend for both Team Sweden and Boston University.
Since being drafted 11th overall by the Canucks, Willander has seamlessly transitioned from Rogle BK in Sweden to the NCAA and already has three goals and 10 points in 19 games along with a plus-13 in the plus/minus column. He has showcased his mobility, hockey IQ and smart passing throughout the season and has elevated himself to the top pairing with Montreal Canadiens dynamo Lane Hutson. Clearly, he’s become one of BU’s top defenders, in his freshman season no less.
Willander’s package of mobility, hockey IQ, and potential to be a two-way defender who can pair well with a guy like Quinn Hughes in the future should make him untouchable at this point.
Canucks Should Shop Wisely
While I think the Canucks should avoid trading their two blue-chip prospects, I am not saying they should steer clear of the trade market altogether. With how the season has gone and the potential of having a totally different roster next season, they need to take advantage of the opportunity they have in front of them. They can still improve the team by trading their 2024 or 2025 first-round pick, mid-range prospects like Linus Karlsson, Elias Pettersson, and Brzustewicz or young players like Vasily Podkolzin and Andrei Kuzmenko. They may just have to set their sights on smaller fish rather than the big ones in Guentzel and Lindholm. Players like Sean Monahan, Adam Henrique, or Frank Vatrano could be acquired without giving up potentially major parts of their future.
The Canucks sit at the top of the NHL standings with a 32-11-4 record and are in the conversation as a Stanley Cup contender. Yes, they could benefit from impact players like the aforementioned Guentzel and Lindholm, but they still shouldn’t sacrifice their future for the present. Hopefully, Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford don’t get blinded by the allure of the deadline, and Lekkerimaki and Willander are still in the Canucks’ system when the clock strikes 3 pm ET on March 8.