Canucks Trade Jason Garrison To Tampa Bay, Acquire Derek Dorsett From Rangers

By Zanstorm Jun 27, 2014, 12:49pm PDT

Jim Benning is putting a huge stamp on this Canucks team in his first NHL Draft Day as our General Manager. He traded Ryan Kesler to Anaheim and now has traded Jason Garrison, the rights to Jeff Costello and the Canucks' 7th round pick in 2015 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Tampa's 50th pick in the Draft today.

#Canucks now have two first round picks today. 4 picks overall in top 50. One pick at 66th. #NHLDraft
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) June 27, 2014

Wow. I get a feeling the wheeling and dealing is not over yet. Those picks can be used as trade assets to get immediate roster help. Since management has made it clear that they are retooling and not rebuilding this is likely the case. Maybe Nick Bonino is the Canucks' 3rd line center and Benning has other plans for the #2 slot. The Canucks gained about $1 million of cap space in the Kesler ($5 million) deal by taking on the contracts of Bonino ($1.9) and Luca Sbisa ($2.175). Flogging Garrison just saved them $5 million more according to Capgeek.

I believe that puts the Canucks at ~~$21,483,889~~ ($19,483,899, see: Dorsett, Derek) in cap space now, if you smell what the Benning is cookin'. He is likely going big on a goaltender and another forward in the coming days or July 1.

Garrison failed to impress here. He scored 16 goals and 33 points (+6) in 2011-12 with the Panthers, 8 goals and 16 points in 47 (+18) games 2 seasons ago, and 7 goals and 33 points (-5) in 81 games this past season with the Canucks. No points in 4 playoff games for Vancouver. Much of the time he looked slow (some of that due to injury). He wasn't that power play menace that we expected. Maybe he didn't want to hurt any more of his teammates so became gun shy. He wasn't an overly physically-imposing player either.

Jason Garrison on Vancouver radio - "It was shocking, that's for sure, definitely unfortunate, I wanted to stay." #Canucks #Bolts
— Sportsnet Pacific (@SNETPacific) June 27, 2014

Here are the goals Garrybomb scored for us in 2012-13:

Who is Jeff Costello? Currently playing NCAA hockey for Notre Dame. The Canucks acquired his rights back in March in exchange for Patrick Mullen.

DEREK DORSETT

Benning already used the 85th pick he acquired from the Ducks in the Kesler deal today. He sent it to the Rangers in exchange for tough guy RW Derek Dorsett. The 27 year-old Kinderley, Saskatchewan native would have played more than 51 games last season under Alain Vigneault had he not sprained his wrist and broken his fibula. He played all 23 playoff games though (1 assist, 18 penalty minutes).

He is slated to make $2 million this season. What? What??

Derek's career stats:

Clearly, Benning is building a bigger team and you know he is going to pursue more depth ASAP.

Dorsett vs Boullion: