Vancouver Canucks Trade Grades: Erik Gudbranson shipped to Pittsburgh Penguins

by Nathan Caddell on February 25th, 2019 at 1:15 PM

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As the trades started to pile in, one could feel the heat being directed toward Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning for standing pat and refusing to move anyone on his roster.

Then, well past the 12 p.m. PST deadline, news dropped that defenceman Erik Gudbranson would be on the move (and prospect Jonathan Dahlen). The much-maligned rearguard, who has had an extremely tough year, was going to Pittsburgh for winger Tanner Pearson.

Canucks fans rejoiced, even if the return wasn’t what many were coveting.

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/1100131548781776898

Draft picks would probably have been the preferred commodity in return for Gudbranson, but getting the defenceman off the team’s blueline has to be viewed as a big win.

Plus, though Pearson is seen as somewhat expendable, having just been moved to Pittsburgh from L.A. in exchange for Carl Hagelin, he has had success in the NHL and costs less than Gudbranson.

(Pearson has two years left on his contract at $3.75 million a season, while Gudbranson also has two seasons remaining, with $4 million owed per year.)

What does this mean for the Canucks?

Well, getting out of the Gudbranson deal and not being anchored to him (again, he’s been one of the worst defencemen in the league this year) can’t be overestimated.

Pittsburgh Penguins on Twitter

Pearson, 26, is somewhat similar to another recent Canucks’ acquisition, Ryan Spooner, in that he had success not that long ago but has since fallen on tough times.

Before being traded to the Penguins, Pearson had one point in 17 games with Los Angeles this year. In 44 games with Pittsburgh, he had 14 points. He had registered over 40 points in both his previous seasons with the Kings.

Grade: B+

No draft picks, but Pearson might be a movable asset for the Canucks going forward and is probably an upgrade on Ryan Spooner, if the latter is moved back down to the AHL. Spooner hasn’t had success on a line with Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson in the two games he’s played. Maybe Pearson fits in better there? As far as moving on from Gudbranson, it’s addition by subtraction, big time.

To Gudbranson's credit, he owned it.