Which $4.5M+ AAV Winger Would You Trade (2023-2024 Halfway Point Edition)?

[F A N]

So we're half way through the season. I think the answer to the question has changed from beginning of training camp to present so I wanted to get a snap shot of people's thoughts here. The contenders are Boeser, Kuzmenko, Garland, and Mikheyev. I'm leaving out Miller for obvious reasons (he also has an NMC). I'm not necessarily talking about trading one of the wingers this season but trading one of the 4 wingers has been on our wish list for a long while.

I'm really struggling with this one. At this point, I'm not trading Boeser. Playoff performance is going to matter. If I'm just looking at the lineup I want going into the playoffs this year Kuzmenko appears to be the odd man out. Here's a few thoughts:

Boeser: the longest serving Canuck has had a bounceback season most of us never imagined. In terms of performance this season Boeser has clearly earned the right to stay. He is the most expensive winger of the 4, but he's scored more goals this season than Kuzmenko, Garland and Mik combined. He has good chemistry with Miller. His friendship with Petey and Hughes is a factor. Boeser is only signed through next season.

Kuzmenko: the worst performing forward of the 4 this season and there's legitimate concerns as to whether he is capable of meeting Tocchet's expectations. At the start of this year he would have been the one I keep. He's the only one of the 4 who has an actual 30+ goal and 70+point NHL season (although Boeser should exceed that goal total at the very least). He's sort of a worser version of Boeser of previous years where if he's not producing offensively he's not very useful. He's also a Milstein client. Kuzmenko is only signed through next season.

Garland: despite the rumors of him asking for a trade and his underperforming counting stats, Garland is actually on his way to putting together another signature season. His career low shooting percentage should mean that he hasn't had too much puck luck. The Blueger, Joshua, and Garland line has become the most consistent line (apart from the reunification of the Lotto Line). If the Canucks are looking to contend right now, you simply can't break up that line. I think that line's success has made a lot of us see why Garland is such a possession monster. His ability to extend offensive zone time has been consistently on display. With that said, Garland is earning a lot for a "3rd liner" and his inability to find a top 6 fit thus far makes him less versatile than Mik. Garland is signed for two more seasons.

Mikheyev: he's been good considering the fact that he's coming back from a serious injury. He compares very favourably to Garland 5 v 5 although Mik has been a fixture alongside Petey. His combination of size, speed, skill, and versatility is unmatched by the other 3, but he's also clearly at his best as the 3rd best player on the first two lines. He's also oldest of the 4 and will turn 30 next season. Mik is another Milstein client signed for two more seasons and has a limited NTC.

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[Grub]

Kinda funny that now the Lotto line is back together we need a Top 2 C. Bo Horvat was always that dude, to bad he was too expensive.

 

[Tables of Stats]

I think it has to be Kuzmenko just because he doesn't seem to fit the coach and system that has us winning. He's just ice-cold right now and even his good games don't have him bring anything else (forechecking, defense, hitting, puck carrying) at a plus level. If he could produce in the system he'd be a nice secondary offense to have come playoff time but as he isn't I think he's the primary target to move.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

kuz

 

[Shareefruck]

I think if Boeser can reinvent his game to fit this type of system, anyone including Kuzmenko can do it. However, it's also not something that's likely to happen overnight in one season, and this looks like a pretty rare opportunity/window to go for it, so it's a pretty reasonable idea to trade him rather than wait for him to figure it out, a lot more than the others, anyways.

Mikheyev is still useful in any role, strangely has had a knack for picking up points even when he's not playing great, and can still find his game before the end of the season.

It would be foolish to trade Garland and Boeser right now. They're too essential. You trade Garland and there's a very real possibility that we go from having an excellent second line to no second line AND no ideal 3rd line.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Kuz is likely the best of the bunch long term. 3 games ago, the team needed a winger. Now we apparently need a center...

 

[maroon 6]

I think it should be Mikheyev but Kuzmenko will be the odd man out

 

[racerjoe]

Depends what the trade is...

 

[82Ninety42011]

Kuz plus another asset should get us the best return for a 2C. As he is the logical one who doesn't fit the system he'd be my choice to move.

Side note I'm eating crow myself as never did I expect Boeser to bounce back like this.

 

[vancityluongo]

i wouldn't trade any of them right now

going into this season, we were all operating under the presumption of kuzmenko as our #1W, mikheyev and/or boeser as #2/3, and garland and/or one of podkolzin/hoglander/pdg as the #3/4 winger, with two of the others filling the #5/6 spots.

it was a perceived logjam, but at the time my argument for wanting to *add* a winger, ideally an elite one, to this group (ie. nylander), was that we were almost certainly going to see a regression from kuzmenko's shooting percentages last year, and that one or more of the guys mentioned above would downright fall short in their pencilled in role.

in saying that, definitely didn't see the bounce back from boeser, but similar to kuzmenko last year - i wouldn't bank on this lasting forever. that doesn't mean we trade boeser right now either, just that in the way this group is structured, we don't have a clear, elite player at the position (unless petey is converted to a full-time winger), and so it's important to have multiple contingencies available in the form of depth options.

management has done a great job adding guys like lafferty and elevating joshua to help create that supplementary depth, but as we've seen so often, you need your top-6 guys to come through in the playoffs, and if they don't, you need other guys to step up. current slumps aside, i'd much rather have the extra of mikheyev or kuz as second line options to go along with the other and hoglander/pdg over placing all of our hopes in the basket of the latter.

now, if petey is #1W, boeser is #2, and everyone else follows - yeah, maybe you have to re-allocate from one of mik/kuz/garland/hog to get a #2C. but i don't think the timing for that is right now in terms of available options, nor do i think we can really afford to use the lotto line as anything more than a nuclear option (as others have mentioned, similar to mcdrai). if that's the path, i'd rather look at a guy like dylan strome (4 years left at $5m per year, 26 years old, coming off a 65 point season) as a potential miller-like target that provides a long term fit. i don't think converting kuz into a rental center like alex wennberg does enough to move the needle.

 

[Joe Rogan]

With his knee injury, Mikheyev's speed is gone and that was his biggest weapon. It's not looking like he's going to improve substantially. It's Roussel 2.0, you have to cut bait now before it's unmoveable

 

[PavelBure10]

Either one of the Russians. With the most obvious choice being Kuzmenko. Kuz just doesn't sit well with his coach Rick Tochett. Even if he turns his game around I just don't think he'll get a fair shake. No use having a guy of his caliber playing the 4th line our constantly sitting in the press box. Might aswell trade the guy with low confidence and let him become a 30-40 goal scorer elsewhere.

Mikheyev is soft, and does a lot of coasting. Definitely better suited for 3rd or 4th line.

Either player would make decent trade chips going forward.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

I was pretty indifferent between Mikheyev or Kuzmenko, leaning towards Kuz due to the slightly larger cap hit, until I realize Mik actually has an extra year over Kuz. For that extra year, I now rather trade Mik instead.

In an ideal world, we should trade both and free up $10m. We'll need that money to extend Hronek and (hopefully) Petey, and to get a legit 2C. But I doubt many teams are looking for a 3rd liner with a $4.75m cap hit (Mik), or a one dimensional winger that is not scoring with a $5.5m cap hit (Kuz). They might be getting close to negative asset area, if not there already.

 

[sting101]

Change the month and change the name. @vancityluongo said it best we're in first place yet still have a couple players who can play better. They most likely turn the corner and then others go the opposite or we get injuries

Just add some depth ala Higgins Lapierre and let the chips fall.

Not saying i wouldn't love to get Hayton Crouse Jenner Lindholm Rasmussen but the asset cost and Cap will be a dance we likely don't appreciate and it's not just a matter of player for asset it involves multiple moves

It's tough to watch Kuzmenko struggle the way he is but i also appreciate the timing and strategy behind moving Pettersson to the top line and making Mikhayev and Kuzmenko drive their own success. If they find their grooves before the deadline and get Pettersson back as their C look out

Ultimately i still think an upgrade at top6 LW with Miller ad Boeser would make some sense if at reasonable cost. The issue when Pettersson leaves that line is it's gonna be a shock to their systems.

 

[VanillaCoke]

mik ainec

 

[Diamonddog01]

The only one I would keep for sure is Boeser right now (which shocks me to write given where he was at last season).

There are arguments for each:

Kuz - doesn't fit the system

Mikheyev - injury could be Roussel 2.0

Garland - despite the improved play and the fact that he's a key cog in what is possibly the best 3rd line the NHL at the moment he simply makes too much. Would be perfect at about 3.5 which is reportedly what other GM's think his value is. You can add overpaying Garland to the disastrous OEL trade consequences.

Ultimately at least Mikheyev and Garland are positively contributing, even if Garland is overpaid and Mikheyev isn't looking great. So Kuzmenko I guess.

 

[Raistlin]

Mikheyev has a skillset that is rare for this team, even if he has hands of stone he is invaluable in a PK and offense facilitator role.

I believe Boeser's decline is very much due to the mental load he's had to carry the last few years. I am hoping that he is not as injury prone as seasons past.

Garland has always been good for us, with his unconventional tasmanian devil whirling dervish style game, the problem is finding someone that he has chemistry with, and right now, Blueger is that guy. thats a golden formula.

Kuzmenko is the odd one out. its too bad, he is a solid 30+ goal scorer in the right situation. he also has one of the best disposition I've seen, I wish we will not trade him to arizona or winnipeg or chicago as some have suggested.

 

[Horvat1C]

Boeser is the most likely to re-sign for max term at a very team friendly cap hit. RNH took a pay cut in his max term deal (5.125M when his previous cap hit was 6M). Horvat was asked to do something similar and declined, Boeser is more likely to agree.

 

[F A N]

Mikheyev has a skillset that is rare for this team, even if he has hands of stone he is invaluable in a PK and offense facilitator role.

He has barely been used on the PK though.

 

[Nucker101]

Mikheyev without his top end speed really makes him a meh player at that cap hit, especially when he’s not leeching off of Pettersson.

I doubt they’ll move him so we just have to hope a normal off-season and more time away from that surgery will get him back skating closer to the way he did in Toronto.

 

[M2Beezy]

Boeser is the most likely to re-sign for max term at a very team friendly cap hit. RNH took a pay cut in his max term deal (5.125M when his previous cap hit was 6M). Horvat was asked to do something similar and declined, Boeser is more likely to agree.

Username checks out

 

[WTG]

Mikheyev has the 3rd highest xGF% on the team with 57.12%

I know everybody is shitting on him. But he's still a good player coming off a bad injury. He's a streaky scorer, and my guess is in 2-3 months, people will be debating what we'd do without him.

 

[Peen]

This is a fun question.

Mikheyev’s skating drop off has looked very noticeable, but he’s still big and defensively responsible. I made the Roussel comps early but I think you wait til the draft with Mikheyev and see how he looks the last 20 + playoffs. He’s not easy to replace. At all. Even with the skating drop off, he’s still finding ways to be productive and to tilt the ice in his favor

Garland. I said before the season that they could not dump him without a quality replacement lined up. Trading him at 2 retained was always stupid IMO. But, he still makes too much - especially if you want to re-sign his linemates. If you plan on finding a new Joshua and Blueger, then maybe you can stomach holding Garland. Or if they pull a 2c, maybe he ends up looking good with the new guy. All I know is he’s never looked good with Elias or JT and you kind of need to if you make 5.

Boeser. I still think they should move him in the summer. I worry about the skating, and he’s a guy who needs an extension in the summer or he goes into the year as a pending UFA. I worry about paying him when he’s never been a driver and he’s clearly a 2nd/3rd guy on a line type of guy. Just big red flags here. Happy about the resurgence for him. Although, from a locker room perspective, maybe you just hold him as an internal rental next year.

Kuzmenko. This is interesting because I think he’s the guy who I’d be most curious about seeing NEXT season but given the teams position and his performance, he’s presently the most replaceable player. He looks awful. But he’s incredibly talented and not many players in the league are as talented.

If VAN wants to get another top six F and top four D, one of these four needs to move and one of Myers/Cole/Zads have to move on the back end.

I would go with Kuzmenko out personally because this is a clear go for the cup year. If all of them are on the roster at the draft, Kuzmenko becomes the lowest priority to move in all likelihood for me.

Please get Lindholm

 

[wonton15]

If you can get out of the MIkheyev contract without paying, that's a no brainer. Can use the 1st to replace him and suddenly you have a nice center or winger for Kuzmenko to play with.

Though, that is very unlikely and Kuzmenko is the most likely casualty this deadline (if any).

Garland has become too important on his line to move. Boeser is staying obviously.

 

[alternate]

If your moving one before the TDL: Kuzmenko.

If your moving one in the offseason: whomever brings back the best return.