The Canucks cannot trade any of these three untouchable prospects by the deadline.

The Vancouver Canucks should acquire players before or before the 2024 trade deadline, but they also ought to give serious thought to holding onto a few prospects.

As of February 27th, the Vancouver Canucks still lead the league in that crucial area with 83 points. Whatever number of points the Canucks end up with as the trade deadline approaches, it’s almost a given that they’ll want to bolster their roster, which probably means trading for one or two prospects.

And, yes, that is practically always the way the NHL trade deadline works, particularly when the best players in the game are attempting to make a trade with a club that is probably a few years away from being in the competition. It does not, however, imply that they must give up either their best player in the pool or a fascinating young player who is beginning to show promise.

The Canucks should hold off on trading any of the few prospects in their system.

The Canucks’ inability to afford to part with so many prospects is partly due to the amount of roster change they anticipate throughout the next two off seasons. The Canucks must consider the long term and aim to hold onto prospects who they could eventually add to their roster, even though a big deal and a Stanley Cup run are anticipated in 2023–24.

They have four blueliners who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the 2023–24 season and another in 2025, which makes their present defensive rotation a major factor in why they need to hold onto their best players in the pool. In order to create a long-term champion in British Columbia, general manager Patrik Allvin must once again look beyond this season. Six forwards are also awaiting UFAs in 2024 or 2025.

When the phones start ringing around the 2024 trade deadline, which players should be off limits? Premonitory: Over the following several seasons, one dynamic forward and two blueliners should all find themselves in Vancouver, where they can contribute to the team’s success throughout the remainder of the decade.