Much of the dialgoue around the Vancouver Canucks as of late has been which players the team should trade. Veterans such as Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson, and even Brock Boeser have been mentioned in trade talks throughout the 2026 off-season thus far, though it feels as though no one on the roster is truly safe from the rumours.
In a similar vein, Vancouver has also been named in recent trade talks surorunding players from other markets. Reports indicated that Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright would welcome a trade to Vancouver, while Brendan Gallagher was connected to the Canucks for a while before being dealt to the team ahead of free agency opening. Whether they roll the dice on them or not would depend on what Vancouver has to give up.
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But what counts as too much to give up?
As little a list as it may be, there are some players that the Canucks should not be trading under any circumstances for the time being. With the team entering a rebuild that will keep fans invested based on the future potential rather than current play, the Canucks will want to prioritize keeping the players that will likely be around, or even entering their prime, come the time Vancouver’s contention window opens. These five players are the ones that the Canucks should not trade under any circumstances.
One of four pieces acquired in the Quinn Hughes trade back in December, it’s looking more and more like Buium could be the cornerstone of Vancouver’s future blueline. The Canucks opted to select only one defenceman during this year’s draft — Samuel Eriksson in the sixth round — leaving their defensive prospect pool with little change. This could change come next year’s draft, of course, though at the current moment it appears that Buium will be a big part of the future.
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Offensively, Buium showed some flashes of intrigue in his 45 games with the Canucks this year. Aside from the three goals and nine assists he scored, the defenceman gave fans things to cheer about when making the occasional slick play to advance offence for his team. Adding to this is the commitment Buium seems to have towards building a better future alongside his teammates — something that always helps a player’s case in staying.
From a rebuild perspective, Buium fits the Canucks’ timeline well. With the 2025–26 season being his first year in the NHL, the defenceman can now approach the next couple of seasons the way he should be able to — as a learning experience. Given Vancouver’s status as a rebuilding team, there will be more room for young players like Buium to make mistakes and learn from them.
Of course, there is still currently a timeline on Buium’s long-term future with the Canucks. The defenceman’s entry-level contract is set to expire after the 2026–27 season, with Buium becoming an RFA after that. If the Canucks are set on a long-term fit with Buium, they’ll want to lock him down as quickly as possible.
Despite Vancouver’s dark moments this year, Willander has shown he wants to be part of a solution in Vancouver. Having been selected 11th-overall by the Canucks in 2023, Willander very quickly shot his way up Vancouver’s defensive depth chart after a call-up in October that lasted the remainder of the season. He finished the season with 21 points in 70 games.
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A candid, calm competitor, Willander impressed this season with his offensive capabilities as well as his quick adjustment to the NHL level. Injuries, as well as changes to Vancouver’s roster as a whole, resulted in Willander averaging nearly 17 minutes per night throughout his rookie NHL season. While there will always be things to work on, as a whole, the defenceman took the season with stride — all while emphasizing his desire to continue improving.
There’s more to keeping a player like Willander around than just the on-ice element. While 2025–26 was still his rookie season, the defenceman showed a keen sense of responsibility and level of accountability that would make him a valuable leader in the long run. As it stands, he, along with good friend Buium, appear primed to headline the Canucks’ next young D-core.
Adam Novotný
It’s still extremely early to tell how his career will pan out, but so far, things look very positive for Novotný. The 24th-overall pick in this year’s draft was highly-coveted by Vancouver and is already looking to be an important piece of the team’s offensive depth when looking towards the future.
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At the heart of his game, Novotný is a goal-scorer. The forward can shoot — evidenced by his 34 goals in 58 games for the Peterborough Petes this season. He can play hard and throw his body around in order to help gain possession and create offence.
Braeden Cootes
While it could be bold to say that Cootes will be the future captain of the Canucks, it wouldn’t be surprising. The center seemed like a shoe-in to take on the role the minute Vancouver drafted him 15th-overall in 2025, especially given his pedigree as former captain of Canada’s U-18 national team (2024–25) and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
What may make Cootes even more well-suited to be a future captain is his impressive work-ethic. He made such a strong impression at training camp in 2025 that he made his NHL debut soon after at the start of this season, and even continued that run of determined play during Vancouver’s development camp in 2026. While these camps aren’t always an indicator of a player’s strong performance in the long run, the fact that Cootes put in the effort and made it count in times that not every player needs to isn’t unnoticeable.
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Cootes can play well on both sides of the ice but showed a particular surge in offence throughout 2025–26. Long-term, it’s likely the center would slot into Vancouver’s middle-six, assumedly behind the next player mentioned on this list. Center depth has been an issue for the Canucks as of late, though Cootes will be one of a couple to help negate that heading towards the future.
Caleb Malhotra
Malhotra immediately shot up to number-one on the Canucks’ prospect depth chart list the minute he was drafted third-overall back in June. The center will fill a gap that Vancouver has been looking to remedy since things fell-through after the team moved on from centers Bo Horvat, Elias Lindholm, and J.T. Miller.
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An offensively-prolific season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL in 2025–26 will likely only be a stepping-stone in Malhotra’s development. The center will be heading to Boston University for the 2026–27 season, with his play throughout then likely determining his fate for 2027–28.
Malhotra will be a key part of Vancouver’s future regardless of when he makes a full-time jump to the NHL.
Honourable mentions: Liam Öhgren, Elias Pettersson (D), Brooks Rogowski, and Niklas Aaram-Olsen
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