Vancouver's next 10 games could play a big role in the Canucks' long-term future.
The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is only 10 games away for the Vancouver Canucks.
Yes, you read that right.
Because of the near month-long break for the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the Canucks only have 10 more games before this year’s trade deadline on March 6. Vancouver has already made some massive deals this season, parting ways with both Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood, but it seems as though they may not be done quite yet. With reports circulating around pretty much every player on the team, it seems as though no Canuck is safe from the fire-sale that Vancouver is expected to partake in.
Vancouver Could See Three Players Return To The Lineup Before The Trade Deadline
The Canucks have already welcomed two important players back to their lineup in the past week with the returns of Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil. While Thatcher Demko’s status is currently unknown, and Derek Forbort is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, Marco Rossi is likely to resume playing either before the Olympic break or immediately after it (though reports seem to lean towards the latter). This means that, while they won’t be completely healthy, the Canucks will be the healthiest they’ve been in quite some time.
A good look at a mainly-healthy Canucks roster will mean that the team could get a better gauge of which players they see as part of their long-term future and which they may be more inclined to move on from. Players like Blueger, David Kämpf, and Evander Kane, all of whom are pending UFAs, may end up playing their final games as Canucks during this span of time.
12 Canucks Skaters’ Contracts Will Expire By The End Of The 2026–27 Season
Within the next two years, 12 current Canucks skaters will have their contracts expire. Five of these players will be looking for new contracts at the end of this season: Blueger, Kane, Kämpf, Forbort, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph (RFA). The only player of these five who is still in their 20s is Joseph, who turns 27 on July 1.
In some ways, it’s safe to say that most of these players probably won’t fit into Vancouver’s long-term future plans. If Kane plays well in the coming games, there’s a chance he could fetch the Canucks a late-round pick at the deadline. Blueger is an interesting piece to look at as well, as he could also grab the Canucks something in return if a contender is interested in bolstering their centre depth.
The next seven players will see their contracts expire at the end of the 2026–27 season, with those being Chytil, Drew O’Connor, Tyler Myers, Liam Öhgren (RFA), Aatu Räty (RFA), Zeev Buium (RFA), and defenceman Elias Pettersson (RFA). At that point in time, the NHL’s salary cap is expected to hit a high of $104 million, giving Vancouver a little extra room to tie down their RFAs while figuring out what their move will be for some of their veterans. There are, however, some reasons why the Canucks may need to make moves impacting these particular players before the start of next season.
Three Canucks’ Trade Protection Clauses Change At The End Of 2025–26
Demko and Conor Garland were two of the Canucks’ biggest signings at the end of the 2024–25 season, with both players inking extensions one year before their current deals expired. Because of the shift in contracts, both players’ trade protections will change from nothing to no-movement clauses. Demko’s no-move clause lasts the entirety of his three-year deal, while Garland’s converts to a 15-team no-trade clause in 2029.
If Vancouver wants to move on from any of their veterans, then sometime within the next 10 games will likely be the easiest time to do it. After Garland and Demko’s new contracts kick in, management will be required to ask either player to waive the agreement in order to trade them, making it more difficult to move them in the event that they want to.
Demko and Garland are not the only two players whose contracts change by the end of this season. Myers, whose current deal expires at the end of the 2026–27 season, will go from having a no-move clause to a 12-team no-trade clause after the 2025–26 season ends. The veteran defenceman could be an interesting trade piece heading into next year’s trade deadline, as he can automatically slot into a contender’s top-six and provide defensive depth where needed. If this is something the Canucks want to consider doing next year, they’ll want to start examining how they want their D-core to look in the coming seasons.
The Biggest Questions Remain At Centre
Honestly speaking, the only centre in the organization who seems to be the safest bet to stay with the Canucks long-term is Braeden Cootes. With Vancouver announcing that they’re officially rebuilding, there’s only a small chunk of players who align with the contention window that the team is toying with (they’re optimistic about it taking 2–3 years, but realistically, a full rebuild will probaby take longer than that).
Aside from Elias Pettersson, the Canucks centres under contract for the longest amount of time are Rossi, Sasson, Cootes, and Riley Patterson, with all of their deals expiring in 2028. By the time that period rolls around, the oldest will be Sasson, who will be 28. Cootes and Patterson will be 21 and 22 respectively, likely taking on full-time NHL roles and fitting in well with the contention timeline that Canucks management is claiming to have in mind.
Four Canucks centres currently under contract will have their contracts expire at the end of the regular season unless they’re extended before then. With the Canucks noting that they’ve been looking to move on from Reichel, it can be expected that the team won’t re-sign him once the off-season rolls around. Blueger, while important on the defensive side of the ice, is a player that probably doesn’t fit into Vancouver’s long-term future. The most likely scenario for him is that the Canucks flip him at the deadline as a means of obtaining more assets.
A player to consider when it comes to these contracts is Räty, who is locked down until 2027. The centre has taken strides as he has gained more and more NHL playing time, though he has since taken a backseat as Blueger and Chytil have made their returns. Realistically, Räty is a player Vancouver will probably hold onto when looking at his age and performances thus far — if they decide to move on from Kämpf in the off-season, the Canucks will likely turn their sights to Räty as a replacement for those minutes.
The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Will Be A Big One For Vancouver
The Canucks have already made two big moves that indicate the trajectory their franchise is heading in during the next couple of years. Even so, it still feels like this team is nowhere near finished with the moves they expect to pull off by this year’s trade deadline. The next 10 games will be massive for a variety of reasons — examining how a semi-near healthy Vancouver lineup could look, showcasing players that could be on the table for trades, and even gauging what compete level this team can be expected to deliver in the coming seasons. In 10 games’ time, this Canucks team could look unchanged from how it does now; but it could also look glaringly different.
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Category: General Sports
