The Vancouver Canucks are in a complicated situation this off-season. With Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen signed for the next four seasons, all signs point to Artūrs Šilovs being the odd man out next season. With Šilovs no longer waiver-exempt, the most likely outcome is that the Latvian goaltender will be traded this off-season so that the organization can get an asset back rather than lose him for nothing.
Šilovs is coming off a season to remember. He led the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup Championship and was named Playoffs MVP after posting a save percentage of .931 over the 24 games. He was also named to Latvia's Olympic Team, where he will be joined by current Canucks teammate Teddy Blueger.
Trading young goaltenders is complicated, as it is challenging to determine their trade value accurately. For example, Cayden Primeau was recently dealt from the Montréal Canadiens to the Carolina Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick, while the Florida Panthers acquired Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth-round pick. Both these goaltenders are around the same age as Šilovs and, like the 24-year-old, will be pushing for a spot on an NHL roster next season.
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Using Primeau and Tarasov as examples, the most likely return in a Šilovs trade would be either a fourth or fifth-round pick. Finding a trade partner will also be challenging, as most teams either have a solid pair locked in for next season or have young goaltenders in their system vying for a job. In the end, the teams that could be in on Šilovs based on their current rosters are the Edmonton Oilers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With Vancouver's current roster and cap constraints, keeping Šilovs is not a luxury they can afford. They can't afford to place him on waivers as he will be claimed, and they don't have enough room to carry him as a third goaltender if they want to improve their center depth this off-season. While it is not an ideal situation, moving Šilovs and recouping a draft pick appears to be the best option for the Canucks.
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