Player Discussion Tanner Pearson

[Blue and Green]

Few have mentioned the possibility of trading Pearson so I thought we can discuss it here. Pearson has been a great fit alongside Horvat and is friends with Tofolli (if we were to re-sign him). The team is better with him than without him. However, I thought he was largely ineffective in his last few games against Vegas. He's a solid complimentary player who is going into the last year of his contract at $3.75M AAV. He just turned 28. He really has been a great acquisition for the Canucks. But is he a player you want to extend? Unless it's a short-term 2 year type extension, most of us here would probably prefer to go younger. He is likely one of those players where you got good value out of him and then you move on.

To me, Pearson is one of the candidates whom you should be able to trade. His salary is reasonable, he's coming off a productive season, and he only has one year left on his contract. He also just returned to the playoffs and did relatively well. Trading him for a pick clears up $3.75M in cap space and you're not trading a long term piece here. As for his potential replacements, Ferland if he can stay healthy can slot in on left wing. So can Virtanen if he's every allowed to play the left side. Roussel would be a step down offensively but has played on Horvat's wing before. There's a lot of uncertainty and risk there of course. You trade Pearson and lose Tofolli and our top 6 wingers consist of Miller, Boeser and the guys I just mentioned (perhaps throw Gaudette in there).

Pearson's profile lends itself more to being traded to a contending team at the deadline rather than being dealt during the offseason. He's played to his cap hit but not above it during his time here. Stronger teams will view him as a third-line winger and his $3.75M salary and cap hit isn't very appealing in that role for a full regular season, especially with the collapse in revenues plus a lot of teams being tight to the cap. Average and weak teams probably won't want to give up assets for a 28-year-old who is only signed for one more season.

He's a competent placeholder here for one more season. If the Canucks aren't contending for a playoff spot, they can deal him at the deadline.

 

[supercanuck]

Pearson could also be a useful trade chip for a defender given how poor the UFA market looks.

I've been interested in a potential Pearson for Adam Larsson swap. Larsson ticks a lot of Benning boxes (big, physical, draft pedigree), but is also a useful player, and would look good next to Quinn for a year.

Is he still considered one of the better defensive dman in the league? If so, this would be a move that I would definitely look at. Oilers are looking for better forwards up front so Pearson could be a fit for them. One year bet to see how he fits.

 

[VanJack]

Is he still considered one of the better defensive dman in the league? If so, this would be a move that I would definitely look at. Oilers are looking for better forwards up front so Pearson could be a fit for them. One year bet to see how he fits.

The Oilers traded Taylor Hall even/up for Adam Larsson. Trading him now for Tanner Pearson would be a serious come-down, would it not?

 

[604]

The Oilers traded Taylor Hall even/up for Adam Larsson. Trading him now for Tanner Pearson would be a serious come-down, would it not?

Adam Larson only has a year left and they are looking to move him out to make room for younger d-men.

Last week I proposed Sutter for Larson, so I suppose Pearson would be an upgrade on that offer.

 

[F A N]

Pearson's profile lends itself more to being traded to a contending team at the deadline rather than being dealt during the offseason. He's played to his cap hit but not above it during his time here. Stronger teams will view him as a third-line winger and his $3.75M salary and cap hit isn't very appealing in that role for a full regular season, especially with the collapse in revenues plus a lot of teams being tight to the cap. Average and weak teams probably won't want to give up assets for a 28-year-old who is only signed for one more season.

He's a competent placeholder here for one more season. If the Canucks aren't contending for a playoff spot, they can deal him at the deadline.

I don't disagree but he doesn't need to go to a contender though. A lot of "weaker" teams actually look for a player like Pearson who can contribute throughout the season, is a one year commitment, and can be dealt at the deadline. We're also not talking about a big return here.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

He was very disappointing after the Minnesota series. Barely showed up vs. VGK.

I wonder if he was battling an injury.

Still, considering we literally removed the worst player on our roster and added a 20 goal scorer, the trade is still an absolute win.

 

[MS]

I don't disagree but he doesn't need to go to a contender though. A lot of "weaker" teams actually look for a player like Pearson who can contribute throughout the season, is a one year commitment, and can be dealt at the deadline. We're also not talking about a big return here.

Buffalo struck me as an ideal destination give how weak they are on the wings and given their desire to improve and the amount of cap space they have ... but it sounds like they might be running on a very low internal cap which would potentially remove them as an option.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

I think with Pearson you're looking for teams that value "gritty scoring" (Calgary, Edmonton, Vegas, Ottawa, Montreal) and rebuilding teams needing to fill out their roster (Devils, Sabres, Kings, Ducks, Red Wings). But yeah, either way, you're not getting much for him.

 

[Fatass]

He was very disappointing after the Minnesota series. Barely showed up vs. VGK.

I wonder if he was battling an injury.

Still, considering we literally removed the worst player on our roster and added a 20 goal scorer, the trade is still an absolute win.

He’s gone after the coming season. Pods will take his place alongside Bo, and instantly be a better player.

 

[bobbyb2009]

Adam Larson only has a year left and they are looking to move him out to make room for younger d-men.

Last week I proposed Sutter for Larson, so I suppose Pearson would be an upgrade on that offer.

Send them both in that trade!

 

[elitepete]

I think there would be a number of teams with interest in him. He is a 20 goal 40 point winger than is somewhat physical and decent defensively. I think we could get a 2nd for him from a team that needs wingers. Montreal, Carolina, Dallas, etc.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

I think there would be a number of teams with interest in him. He is a 20 goal 40 point winger than is somewhat physical and decent defensively. I think we could get a 2nd for him from a team that needs wingers. Montreal, Carolina, Dallas, etc.

Would be a good way to recoup a pick.

 

[BB06]

How much better is Pearson than Leivo in all honesty?

 

[LuckyBoeser]

How much better is Pearson than Leivo in all honesty?

For what it worth, Leivo has accumulated a total 11.3 GAR and Pearson has accumulated a total of -8.5 the last two seasons which is a significant gap. I think I definitely prefer a healthy Leivo over Pearson.

 

[Bubbles]

"When the time comes, I'm all ears, I want to stay here," Pearson said

This guy cannot be re-signed. This is similar to the Baertschi situation. Yes, he fits in well but he is 28. His approximate value on the market would be in the $4 million range.

People laughed at me when I said to trade Baertschi before he signed that contract. I saw him as nothing more than a age gap player that would be overtaken by younger guys once our talent level increased. This is the exact situation now.

 

[MS]

"When the time comes, I'm all ears, I want to stay here," Pearson said

This guy cannot be re-signed. This is similar to the Baertschi situation. Yes, he fits in well but he is 28. His approximate value on the market would be in the $4 million range.

People laughed at me when I said to trade Baertschi before he signed that contract. I saw him as nothing more than a age gap player that would be overtaken by younger guys once our talent level increased. This is the exact situation now.

29 in the summer.

If you could sign him 1-2 years a $3 million, you look at it. But there is no way you go 3-4 years with any sort of AAV on this player.

He's a useful middle-6 guy and a pretty good linemate for Horvat. And if we had cap space, sure. But we badly need to address the defense and #3 center positions and his $ needs to be allocated to that more than we need to keep him.

You would hope Podkolzin can be filling his middle-6 winger role by 22-23 at the latest, in any case.

 

[Bubbles]

29 in the summer.

If you could sign him 1-2 years a $3 million, you look at it. But there is no way you go 3-4 years with any sort of AAV on this player.

He's a useful middle-6 guy and a pretty good linemate for Horvat. And if we had cap space, sure. But we badly need to address the defense and #3 center positions and his $ needs to be allocated to that more than we need to keep him.

You would hope Podkolzin can be filling his middle-6 winger role by 22-23 at the latest, in any case.

You basically described what Baertschi was. Good linemate for Bo, and a middle 6er. He's at $3.75 million, heading into UFA. I don't think he will come at $3 million at all.

My point is that his asset value is probably at it's highest, where we can flip him for picks. If he doesn't fit into the team future, now is the time to maximize that asset. Overpaying another forward would be another mistake.

 

[Vector]

As others have said, interest in continuing the relationship with Pearson depends on cap hit, term, and opportunity. By the last point, I don't just mean internally I also mean what is available via trade or other UFA targets. Pearson has been remarkably steady in the top-6 since his arrival. Even when he's not scoring he's put in a solid effort and has done very good work defensively. A 2 year 6-7m deal would be considered if other options aren't satisfactory and you don't want to important offensive minutes to a rookie (Podkolzin), sophmore (Hoglander), or someone like Gaudette.

Really depends on what the mandate is for next year. This is a team that should be competing for a mid-tier playoff spot and have expectations for a first round win. There's lots of work to get there and punting the year and trading away contracts for future assets is probably the best way to even accomplish short term success. Trade Pearson to a team, then attach whatever pick/prospect you get from that with a onerous future contract to generate cap-space for the offseason.

 

[F A N]

29 in the summer.

If you could sign him 1-2 years a $3 million, you look at it. But there is no way you go 3-4 years with any sort of AAV on this player.

He's a useful middle-6 guy and a pretty good linemate for Horvat. And if we had cap space, sure. But we badly need to address the defense and #3 center positions and his $ needs to be allocated to that more than we need to keep him.

You would hope Podkolzin can be filling his middle-6 winger role by 22-23 at the latest, in any case.

Agreed. Got to be careful with players like Pearson as they can decline fast like Chris Higgins did. If Pearson isn't producing offensively he's not going to be an effective player.

 

[Nucker101]

Pearson is the perfect player to trade this season, there would definitely be a market for him, his timeline isn’t aligned with EP and QH’s, and he’s not a core player.

 

[Get North]

The problem is he's our 3rd best winger. Look at Winnipeg, their 3rd best winger is one of Ehlers/Connor/Wheeler.

 

[Canuck86]

Canucks need to trade him for a decent return, is GM JB that guy to do that...I don't think so but looking like team might not make any moves this year and just ride it out?

 

[F A N]

The problem is he's our 3rd best winger. Look at Winnipeg, their 3rd best winger is one of Ehlers/Connor/Wheeler.

Ehlers's cap hit is $6M, Connor's is over $7M, and Wheeler's is over $8M.

Of course it would be nice to add another game breaking forward up front, but I think the problem is more about depth. Right now we are lacking forwards who can play on the top 2 lines, produce like a 2nd line winger, and not be a liability defensively. The problem is lessened if Hoglander continues to develop and Pods is able to step in. We should be targeting guys capable of moving up and down the lineup that we can sign to short term deals for cheap. That's what made pre-knee cap busting Leivo so valuable.

 

[Josepho]

Hoglander will (if he hasn't already) overtake Pearson pretty quickly.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

Deal him for a 2nd if you can at the deadline. Should be able to by then.