NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks, and the New York Islanders

Do the Vancouver Canucks look to move a goaltender?

Stephan Roget of the Canucks Army: Next season the Vancouver Canucks have Thatcher Demko ($5,000,000), Kevin Lankinen ($4,500,000), and Arturs Silovs ($850,000) under contract. Silovs is no longer waiver exempt and he’d get claimed if he were placed on waivers in the fall.

The UFA market is a little thin this offseason, and maybe a few are available in trade. Losing Silovs to waivers wouldn’t be good asset management after six years of development.

Carrying three goalies is an option, but a trade of someone seems more likely. The Canucks should able to get some draft pick(s) for Silovs if they decide he’s the one they want to move. They could look to trade Lankinen, but they just signed him to an extension this season.

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Demko has a year left on his contract, no trade protection, and is the most likely of the three to be dealt.

It would be a ‘shock’ if the New York Islanders didn’t make the first-overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft

Adam Kimelman of NHL.com: New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche said that he would be shocked if they weren’t the ones making the first selection of the 2025 NHL draft.

“I expect to speak No. 1 on June 27. You’ve got to be open to everything, but I’d be shocked if we’re not the one speaking first.

When (NHL Commissioner) Gary (Bettman) announces the first pick, I’d be shocked if it’s not the New York Islanders.”

Darche went on to add:

“It’s not very often you get a (GM) job and the first thing you have to do is pick the best player in the draft,” Darche said. “I expect us to make the pick. … You have to do your due diligence. Anybody that calls, you have to listen. But someone would have to really knock my socks off to trade that pick because we’re going to get a special player.”

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