Possible trade bait revealed in Vancouver.

In an interview with TSN 1040, hockey insider Pierre McGuire spoke about the Vancouver Canucks rebuild and potential trades the franchise could make in the upcoming offseason.

With young blueliners like Troy Stecher and big man Nikita Tryamkin adjusting surprisingly quickly to the pace of the NHL, would it be possible to see the Canucks unload one of their more seasoned defencemen?

McGuire thinks that certainly could be a possibility: “Edler and Tanev can still play, they’re useful commodities. You don’t want to just throw your young kids out there and expose them”

McGuire added that the asking price is key: “for draft picks, I’d say no…I think if it’s for real, live-bodied players, especially at the forward position, I would say I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe he did one, but not both”.

Exposing young players to a grueling NHL season without dependable veterans on the team to mentor them is an unappealing option, even for a team in a rebuild. Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev probably are the Canucks most valuable assets over the age of 27, but that doesn’t mean the team can do without both of them.

“Reasonably, with the rebuild going on, I wouldn’t be surprised if one, but for a real player not a draft pick or draft picks”, McGuire concluded, citing a relatively weak draft class and a taste for a fast turnaround as motivators in any move done by General Manager Jim Benning.

The Canucks next suit up against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, April 2^nd.