Insider Thomas Drance hints at players the Canucks could likely sell before the trade deadline
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 4, 2026 (11:55)
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Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Thomas Drance says the Vancouver Canucks are staring down the Olympic roster freeze, and the Brock Boeser and Conor Garland trade chatter feels louder.
The freeze matters because it shuts the door on trades from Wednesday at 3 p.m. until February 22.
Vancouver cannot afford to waste that window. This season has gone sideways fast.
The Canucks sit at 18-32-6.
That record turns "deadline posture" into a real conversation, not just talk radio noise.
Garland is sitting on 7-17-24, and he plays the kind of edge game contenders want in a middle-six role.
Boeser is at 12-13-25, but he’s also on IR right now, which complicates timing and leverage.
The second post’s key detail is contract control. Garland’s no-move protection doesn’t start until July 1, so the Canucks still have real flexibility.
That’s why he and Boeser get labeled "movable" more than other veterans with tighter clauses.
Conor Garland and the Vancouver Canucks face hard choices
Fans can feel the dread, because this is the part of a rebuild where every move gets picked apart for years.
The Olympic freeze squeezes the calendar, then the league sprints to the March 6 trade deadline.
If Vancouver sells, the priority should be futures plus clean cap hits, not "hockey trades" that keep the team stuck in the mushy middle.
Garland’s motor helps, but a seller can’t fall in love with compete when the standings are this ugly.
Boeser’s name carries weight, yet health and cap structure decide whether the market actually bites.
Either way, Wednesday’s freeze forces Patrik Allvin to show his hand, or sit on it and live with the consequences.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 4|143 ANSWERS Insider Thomas Drance hints at players the Canucks could likely sell before the trade deadline Should the Vancouver Canucks trade Brock Boeser before the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 119 | 83.2 % |
| No | 24 | 16.8 % |
| List of polls | ||