Rumor: Alex Edler set to leave the Vancouver Canucks.

It seems that the Vancouver Canucks are set to lose a huge piece of their roster. 

A breaking news report from Vancouver Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has just revealed that it now appears that Canucks' defenseman Alexander Edler is destined to hit the open market for the very first time in his National Hockey League career. The news comes as a huge surprise as it seemed like both sides here really wanted to get a deal done, with Edler consistently saying throughout his career that he wanted to remain a Canuck and with Canucks general manager Jim Benning reportedly having made multiple offers to Edler. 

Obviously it seems likely that either Edler himself or the Canucks organization are bluffing a little here, they cant both want the deal as badly as they claim if there is no deal to be made here. If I had to speculate I would guess that the 33 year old Edler is looking for one last big payday and is likely seeking more term on his next deal that the Canucks are prepared to give to a player of his age. With players like Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes the future of the team, it seems unlikely that the Canucks would want to invest heavily in a player that is past the prime years of his career.

That being said the news will come as a shock to a Canucks fan base that has watched Edler's entire career in the National Hockey League unfold before their eyes. Since being draft in the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft Edler has spent his entire career as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Edler has appeared in a whopping 814 games for the organization, recording 94 goals and 274 assists along the way for a total of 368 points as a Canuck.

This would be a huge loss for the Canucks both from a roster perspective as well as from a legacy perspective. Dhaliwal was quick to describe Edler as "one of the best defenseman in franchise history," and you have to imagine that seeing him end his career in a different uniform will sting. There's still time to get a deal done of course, but Dhaliwal is always right on the money when it comes to all things Canucks.