While Canucks defenseman Alex Edler’s desire to remain in Vancouver is well-known, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre suggests that there will likely be one significant hurdle that needs to be cleared for the pending UFA to remain with the team. Unlike most contract talks, that hurdle won’t be salary or term either. Instead, it could very well come down to GM Jim Benning’s willingness to include a no-move clause.
MacIntyre notes that Edler invoked his no-trade clause back at the trade deadline in late February to remain with the team. If he did that this season, there’s a good chance that he’d likely continue to do so if approached about waiving a no-move clause down the road, especially with the Seattle expansion draft now two years away. The expansion situation is what would likely push him to seek the no-move instead of a simple no-trade clause as the former would assure he’s protected for the draft. Back at the deadline, the two sides agreed to table extension talks until the season came to an end so those discussions should pick up again in the coming weeks.
More from Vancouver:
- Postmedia’s Ed Willes speculates that winger Brock Boeser’s asking price will start in the $6MM range per season. The pending restricted free agent has matched his point total from last season with 55 in 68 games but battled multiple groin issues throughout the season as well. While that amount may seem low compared to some of the other notable young players that will also be up for new deals this summer, the fact that the 22-year-old only has two full seasons under his belt instead of three should keep his next AAV a little lower than some of the other comparables.
- While the Canucks will see their season come to an end tonight, at least one player will be suiting up next month. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Quinn Hughes will participate with Team USA at the upcoming World Championships. The 19-year-old has made a quick impact with Vancouver since joining their lineup with three assists in four games and will continue his development at the international level. Hughes suited up for them in the tournament last year, recording a pair of assists in ten games.