For most of trade deadline day, it looked like the Vancouver Canucks would stand pat. But, lo and behold, after the 12 p.m. PST deadline, a couple of moves were announced.

The first sent defenceman Erik Gudbranson to the Pittsburgh Penguins, an exchange that had many Canucks fans breathing sighs of relief that the team wouldn’t be tied to the rearguard for another two years.

The second was more of a head scratcher.

Alas, the rumour—first murmured by TSN’s Matt Sekeres—that Jonathan Dahlen could be on the move, proved to be true.

Formerly a highly touted prospect in the Canucks’ stable and known to have chemistry and a friendship with Elias Pettersson, Dahlen was the most coveted player in the team’s system that hadn’t played a game with the club, other than defenceman Quinn Hughes.

It appears that Dahlen and his agent may have forced the Canucks’ hand, according to general manager Jim Benning.

https://twitter.com/sportsnetmurph/status/1100144091759693824

Benning stated that this was a “lateral move”, but that certainly doesn’t appear to be true, as Dahlen was taken in the second-round of the 2017 NHL draft and is already playing in the American Hockey League, to the tune of 29 points in 50 games.

https://twitter.com/benkuzma/status/1100143653551407104

That’s not to say the Canucks shouldn’t have done this deal. They obviously believe Dahlen doesn’t have what it takes to play at the NHL level. The club has done a pretty solid job of scouting prospects, so if they firmly believe that, there’s probably reason to take them at their word.

Dahlen, 21, is two years older than Karlsson, who put up 17 points in 48 games for Karlskrona in Sweden’s second division. He’s 6’1, 187 pounds, according to Elite Prospects.

The Canucks, of course, have often relied on former player and Swedish scout extraordinaire Thomas Gradin to sniff out players from his home country, so if Gradin likes Karlsson, it might be a risk worth taking.

Grade: C

On paper, this isn’t a good trade. Dahlen hasn’t been great in Utica, but he’s been fine. Karlsson seems to project as a downgrade on that. Plus, not at least giving Dahlen a try with Pettersson seems downright strange.

But, of course, the Canucks and Gradin have a good record with Swedish prospects. If they’re right here, maybe Karlsson can fit in. Elite Prospects projects him as a “middle-six scoring centre”, and if that comes to bear, it would obviously be very nice for the Canucks.

If Dahlen pans out for the Sharks (or another team) though, it will be very hard to stomach for Benning and company. The Canucks absolutely cannot afford to lose high-end prospects right now.

The dreams of Pettersson and Dahlen becoming the next version of the Sedin twins for the Canucks are gone. Hopefully the club is right about the massive gamble they just took.

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