By: Trent Leith / November 28, 2023 On Tuesday evening, just before the Canucks were scheduled to play the Anaheim Ducks, news broke that the Canucks had traded Anthony Beauvillier to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 5th-round pick.
It has been apparent for some time now that the Canucks were going to have to move a winger, especially once all their forwards became healthy. Beauvillier was acquired from the New York Islanders as part of the Bo Horvat trade in 2022-23, and the pending UFA seems to have been the odd man out. Or the one with market value anyways. It has been widely speculated that Beauvillier was among the names being shopped around to free cap space.
In Beauvillier’s 55 games with the Vancouver Canucks, he put up 11 goals and 17 assists. This season, Beauvillier has been off to a slow start with only two goals and eight points.
The Chicago Blackhawks recently placed Corey Perry on waivers for the purpose of contract termination due to Perry “engaging in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of terms of both his Standard Player Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”
Clearly, the Blackhawks see a fit in their lineup for Beauvillier now that a top-six position has opened up on their team.
Anthony Beauvillier has a $4.15M cap hit that is set to expire at the end of this season. It is worth noting that the Canucks managed to retain none of Beauvillier’s salary, freeing up over $4M in cap space for the Canucks to use to upgrade their blue line.
The Canucks are reportedly still interested in bringing Ethan Bear back into the fold once he is fully healthy. Reports are that Bear will be ready to go after Christmas, and the Canucks could make a decision on the player in the coming weeks.
The cap space freed up in this trade will be critical for the Canucks to upgrade their defence, regardless of whether the Canucks choose to re-sign Bear or not.
The Canucks managing to trade Beauvillier, gain an asset, and retain no money is a huge win for the organization, especially with the current market for wingers being so sparse.