Canucks get some brutal injury news on top trade chip Kiefer Sherwood

Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote confirmed today that forward Kiefer Sherwood will be out of his team's lineup for the rest of the month, potentially even into February.

Foote could only speculate on Sherwood's return but he did say that he feels Sherwood could be out as long as three weeks.

"He's trying to go through something and my gut says it's probably gonna be a week to three weeks. So it doesn't look promising."

From Canucks insider Jeff Paterson:

Sherwood, of course, has been the focus of trade rumors for weeks now. Basically the moment that the Canucks traded captain Quinn Hughes fans have been speculating on who the team will trade next in their effort to "rebuild on the fly".

Sherwood's name jumped to the top of the trade targets around the league considering that he's on an expiring contract and that negotiations on an extension with the Canucks have reportedly been strained. The 30 year old forward is reportedly seeking a longer term deal as a free agent and will likely have options if he hits the open market.

He has 17 goals and 23 points in 44 games this season and is an absolute MENACE on the forecheck. In fact, he set an NHL record for hits in a season last year, blowing away the previous record by over 130+ hits on the campaign.

With today's news of his injury you have to wonder about whether or not the Canucks have missed their opportunity to trade Sherwood at the peak of his value?

If he comes back from injury and doesn't play with the same sort of energy that teams are accustomed to, there's a very real possibility that his trade value could plummet. The Canucks were reportedly seeking a 1st round pick in exchange for Sherwood via trade. It remains to be seen now how today's news effects those expectations.

Stay tuned.