Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson has seen his name come up in trade speculation over the last little while, including a reported trade that would have seen him return to Florida in exchange for Jason Demers over the summer (that fell through when Demers exercised his no-trade clause). He’s in the final year of his contract and as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province notes, Gudbranson is in line to get a raise from the $3.5MM he’s making this season as well as a long-term deal since he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. GM Jim Benning noted that there haven’t been talks on an extension yet but that there could be later on in the year:
“There’s a mutual thing with his agent. Let’s just see where this goes. From their perspective, they want to feel comfortable in a new city and find his niche. We agreed to let it play out and when the time is right, we’ll talk about it.”
So far this season, the 25-year-old has yet to record a point in 16 games but sits second on the Canucks in blocked shots (22) and hits (33) while averaging a little more than 17 minutes of ice time per game.
More from Vancouver:
- Gudbranson isn’t the only one in need of a new contract for next year as Benning’s contract is up at the end of the season. In a recent radio appearance with Sportsnet 650, team owner Francesco Aquilini stated that extension talks are ongoing and that “I am pleased with how Jim has performed. I’m optimistic we’re going to come to an agreement with him.” Benning is in his fourth season at the helm of the Canucks and while the team made the playoffs in his first year, they struggled considerably over the last two seasons.
- The team has launched an appeal to rescind the instigator penalty given to winger Derek Dorsett on Thursday against Anaheim, Kuzma relays via Twitter. This penalty was his second of the season and once he gets his third, he would automatically receive a two-game suspension under Rule 46.21.