While the Vancouver Canucks are in the midst of a youth movement, it is seeming more likely that they could trade the likes of Dan Hamhuis. The defenseman has recently returned from a serious facial injury in which his jaw needed to be wired. Despite that, he has played well in his three games since returning.
It is clear the veteran defenseman loves the city and would like to stay, even if his team is still not guaranteed a playoff position. He is even willing to "take a pay cut to make that happen," according to the Vancouver Sun's Iain MacIntyre. This makes it seem very unlikely he will waive his no-trade clause.
"We haven't had any discussions with Dan on that," Canucks President Trevor Linden said, when asked about whether they discussed the no-trade clause with Hamhuis this week, according to Sportsnet's Trevor Drance.
General manager Jim Benning admits that the 33-year-old might still be useful to the team going forward because of his defensive abilities. "Good defen[s]emen are hard to come by now," Benning stated. "it seems like there's a premium on good defen[s]emen, on top four defen[s]emen," according to Drance.
Despite that, it still seems unlikely the Canucks are actively seeking to re-sign him.
"We haven't had any contract discussions with Dan," Linden stated. "We talked to him and his reps earlier in the year, just sort of said we're in a bit of a wait-and-see type situation. Dan is a quality guy, he's been a great Vancouver Canuck and he's a leader in our room. We haven't come to that determination yet and we haven't had any discussions with Dan yet," Drance writes.
Benning has stated that he's still actively trying to rebuild his team with younger players.
"I do think there is a premium on young players and draft picks," he said, according to Drance. It seems unlikely Hamhuis will be re-signed, and if the Canucks can agree to get him to waive his no-trade clause, they could net some draft picks to help their GM's vision for the team.
