Seriously, why could they trade him.
Not that I want Stecher traded, but I could see it in the GM's perspective.
Already lost Hutton for nothing last year, RFA Stecher should easily command $3.5m or higher. That would push Tanev out.
Tanev has worked well with Hughes and a veteran to stabalize Hughes for a few more years would absolutely be crusial in both the path Canucks wants to go and developing Hughes into someone who can carry a pairing.
So where does that leave Stecher? Either the Canucks bite the bullet and hope that Eriksson's contract magically disappears through trade or other ways and just sign Stecher and figure it out later.
Benn has another year, Fantenberg has played relatively well, and those two could lock down the third pairing while allowing someone from Utica to join the 3 man rotation for the 2 spots nightly.
There are eight defensemen either down in Utica or in Woo's case in Junior that would be fighting for that #7 spot, and all of them have a more cap friendly contract than Stecher.
Stecher is the victim of the combination of Hughes exceeding every expectation, and Myer's contract.
Combining all the reasons above, I can see the Canucks try to use Stecher at the draft to recoup some picks.
As a Canucks fan, I would love nothing more than them keeping the local product who chose to play for the Canucks after college. Could Stecher pull a Burrows and sign a long term deal at a heavy discount?
I sure hope so.