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PITB on the Radio: Canucks don’t have the assets to acquire Noah Hanifin

Also, Elias Pettersson signs entry-level contract: what can Canucks fans expect from him?
PITB on the Radio

PITB on the Radio shares select audio from Daniel Wagner’s appearances on local sports talk radio. The audio won’t be as enjoyable to listen to as Return to Cookie Mountain, but you still might like it.


With just six word, Elliotte Friedman threw a grenade into the Vancouver market: “Stealth team for Noah Hanifin: Vancouver.”

Friedman dropped that little nugget of information in his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet. The rumour sparked plenty of conversation in Vancouver, as Hanifin is exactly the type of player the Canucks need: a young, talented defenceman, who can move the puck and put up points.

Hanifin is just 21 years old and has already played three seasons in the NHL, putting up a career high 10 goals and 32 points in 79 games in the 2017-18 season. While he has some defensive liabilities, he’s steadily improving and could potentially turn into a top-tier first-pairing defenceman.

There’s just one problem: the Canucks just don’t have the assets available to acquire Hanifin. The conversation would start with the 7th overall pick, but it wouldn’t end there. If the trade was the 7th overall pick straight up for Hanifin, you probably do that deal, but as soon as you add other assets, it gets dicey.

On Friday night, I went on Sportsnet Tonight with Dave Sheldon and talked about the Hanifin rumour, as well as Elias Pettersson, extolling his virtues in light of him signing his entry-level contract.

PITB on the radio - May 25 Pettersson and Hanifin

 

The conversation gets started at the 5:20 mark of the show and the conversation lasts about 15 minutes. In it, I may have gone slightly hyperbolic about Hanifin: he’s not quite the Hurricanes’ best defenceman, but could be within the next couple years. If the Canucks went out and acquired him, he’d immediately be the team’s best offensive defenceman.

What do you think? Is there a price that could be paid to acquire Hanifin that would make sense for both teams?