With roughly seven million dollars left to sign seven players, the Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a bit of a bind. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that the team is reportedly still listening to offers for Alex Edler, who is slated to earn $30MM over the next six seasons. According to Bruce Garrioch of the
Ottawa Sun, among others, the Tampa Bay Lightning is interested.
The market isn’t dead for Edler. Far from it. I’m told the Flyers, Lightning, Senators, Sabres and Oilers all have interest in the 27-year-old Edler, who has a cap hit of $5 million through 2018-19. He could still move but it may have to happen before free agency ...
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that Lightning should be interested in Edler. At 27 years of age, the mammoth-sized defender (read: 6’3”, 215 pounds) is just entering the prime of his career. Already a player who can and does put up forty-plus points per year, Edler is an extremely rare commodity; players like him simply do not end up on the trading block all that often.
While some will point to his inconsistency as a reason to stay away, Edler’s potential for greatness is too much to ignore. When on his game, he hits, he moves the puck, he can quarterback an elite power-play, and he is responsible at both ends of the rink. With so many talented young defenders coming up through the ranks in the Lightning’s system, Edler could be a perfect ‘veteran’ fit. In this blogger’s opinion, he’s the top-four defender this Lightning team is missing.
Right before last Sunday’s draft and Edler’s new No-Trade Clause kicking in, nearly every rumor prognosticator listed him as a potential trade target for upwards of ten teams. Things are slightly more complicated now thanks to that clause, but Vancouver’s aforementioned cap crunch still makes an Edler trade possible. Offering Edler a reunion with familiar faces (See: Sami Salo, Mattias Ohlund, Rick Bowness), a chance to be part of an up-and-coming team, and the Florida sun, perhaps Tampa is a destination worth waiving for.
Of course, the price would be astronomical. Teams simply don’t deal defenseman like Edler for the sake of making a trade; to land him, quality and youth would have to be heading back to Vancouver in any potential deal.
If general manager Steve Yzerman truly has interest in Edler, he’s one of only a handful of GMs who could offer the Canucks a package worth taking. To state it bluntly, few teams have depth and quality in the prospect line that matches the Lightning’s. With the Canucks looking for young players and a proven top-six forward, the Lightning could certainly enter a negotiation with cards to play. Add that to the fact that the Bolts and Canucks reside in different conferences, and Tampa starts to look like a mighty logical destination.
Steve Yzerman has already said that he expects the Lightning to be quiet when free agency opens tomorrow; most who follow the team agree that he is much more likely to look for defensive help via trade. With Alex Edler potentially available, it would behoove Yzerman to make a call up to Mike Gillis and the Vancouver Canucks.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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