Two weeks to the trade deadline, a little less than two months until the end of the 2025-26 season for the Vancouver Canucks. With no chance to make the playoffs, the year is essentially over. It's not just the eleven points, but the eight teams who have something to say about it, too. So, yeah. That's a wrap.

But the idea that there "isn't anything to play for" is just wrong. There is a lot left to decide, and 25 games left to decide it in. Not all the players will be returning to the Canucks, obviously enough. The decisions on those players aren't whether they will be here, but when they will leave.

A$AP Hockey

The first moves will be around the trade deadline. That's where the unrestricteds are brought in by hopefuls around the league. They can be hopeful of winning the Stanley Cup, or it could be just to make the playoffs. Either group is a target for Patrik Allvin - and we don't want to hear any "we're taking calls" nonsense. The GM's phone shouldn't see the inside of his pocket for another eleven days.

As much as fans would like to see an earth-shaking deal sooner rather than later, we probably won't. Odds are, any move that requires reconfiguring a team's salary for the next few seasons won't come until July or August. So the names we all know - Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, and David Kampf - are the focus. None of them will result in a huge return, although Vancouver having two retention slots could juice the price a little.

The Canucks also have some space to bring back a bad contract from another team. That's a bit more complicated, but if it happens, it'll happen early, so said team can use the space for other targets. Historically speaking, Vancouver likes fishing in the college free agent pool, so they'll want to keep returning contracts to a minimum. Still, if tolerating one fewer long shot means moving from the fourth round to the third, that can be worth it.

Long-ish Term Relationships

Continuing on that last thought, if a team is very interested in moving off a multi-year deal, that should get Vancouver's interest, too.  Such a move is much less likely today than it was several years ago in the world of a flat salary cap, but who knows? Those days may be right around the corner once again!

The Canucks can afford to bring in Andrew Mangiapane, for instance. His two-year deal isn't particularly cumbersome, and after a lousy year in Edmonton, he could get plenty of opportunity to rebound with a new team. Lord knows, the Canucks aren't going to be particularly good next year, and the chance to move up in the lineup might be enough to convince him to waive his no-trade clause. Contract seasons are magical things, baby!

What does Edmonton want? Scoring from the bottom six. What does Teddy Blueger do? Well, I'll tell ya: he scored five goals and eight points in his ten games back this season. What can Edmonton pay? Eh... That gets trickier. The recent pushes to reach, then win, the Cup have stripped the team of a lot of its movable assets. But there are picks, there are prospects - or prospect - there are deals that can be made. None of the top teams will be flush with trade chips.

On the other hand, some teams looking to break losing streaks are viable targets, too. Detroit, Columbus, Buffalo, Anaheim, heck, maybe another deal with San Jose can be in the works. The Sharks shouldn't spend heavily for the chance to get in now, but maybe they're interested.

The Maybe

Buffalo looks very interesting as a potential trade partner. They have a lot of players in that early-to-mid-20's set, and maybe they can be talked into moving one. Payton Krebs has been a bit of a disappointment so far. Owen Power gets huge minutes, but $8.35 million is a lot of money for some fairly middling production. Especially on a team with three other defencemen roughly the same age, but putting up a lot more points.

There really is only one big-time asset the Canucks have available before Summer, and that's Conor Garland. If the Sabres want a player who shows zero quit at any time, can play up or down the lineup, and is completely reliable in scoring, he's not a bad choice. Heck, maybe they're interested in Blueger, too, for a veteran voice at centre.

Big money moves aren't likely until the off-season, but that doesn't mean they're impossible. But Garland has proven his reliability and flexibility over the course of his career. It's hard to imagine him not getting between 45 and 50 points in a full season, even as he ages into his new, 6x$6 million deal next year.

If anyone outside "the usual crew" gets moved by the deadline, it should be him.