Through 61 games this season, Vanek has tallied 17 goals and 24 assists, and sits second in team scoring behind only rookie winger Brock Boeser. That sort of production makes him a prime target for the rebuilding Canucks to flip for younger assets.
Moving at the deadline has become somewhat of a regular occurrence for Vanek, who was traded from the Red Wings to Panthers a year ago, and from the Islanders to the Canadiens in 2014.
Suiting up for a new team would mark the eighth sweater worn by Vanek, who made his NHL debut in 2005.
Prior to Sunday's contest versus the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers honored the former forward by retiring his legendary No. 19.
Ratelle skated with the Rangers from 1960 to 1976. He posted a career-best 109 points in 1971-72, and was recognized with the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL's most outstanding player.
His 817 points with the Rangers ranks third in franchise history, trailing only Brian Leetch and Rod Gilbert.
Ratelle is the ninth Ranger to have his number retired, and the first since the team honored both Harry Howell and Andy Bathgate on Feb. 22, 2009.
Gilbert, on hand for Sunday's ceremony, and whose No. 7 was retired by the club in 1979, announced the team will retire Vic Hadfield's No. 11 next season. Hadfield ranks ninth all time in franchise scoring.
With the Rangers, Ratelle, Gilbert, and Hadfield formed the GAG (Goal-A-Game) line.
Last month, Fisher announced he was rejoining the team, just five months after he declared his retirement. The former Predators captain led last year's squad to the Stanley Cup Final.
A contract must be finalized prior to Monday's trade deadline. The $1-million salary is prorated for the remainder of the season.
Fisher tallied 42 points in 72 games with the Predators last season.
With no current NHL stars gracing the ice at PyeongChang 2018, the tournament's familiar faces included longtime Detroit Red Wings center, Pavel Datsyuk, elite goal-scorer Ilya Kovalchuk, and up-and-coming talents like Nashville Predators winger Eeli Tolvanen.
As expected, all of those players shined in different moments. However, lesser-known athletes plying their trade in Europe had a chance to showcase their skill sets on the big stage as well. These players may hope a good performance in PyeongChang is what they needed to get noticed by NHL teams.
Here are five relatively unknown Europe-based players who proved their worth, which could pave the way to an NHL job.
Goalie - Pavel Francouz, Czech Republic
Age:27 | Team: Chelyabinsk Traktor(KHL)
In the Czech Republic's first three group games and quarterfinal matchup against the United States, Pavel Francouz put up a tournament-leading .937 save percentage. It's because of their goalie that the Czechs advanced as far as the semis, before losing 3-0 to the Olympic Athletes of Russia. He was, unequivocally, his country's MVP.
On top of shining at the games, the 27-year-old has put up video-game-like numbers in the past three club seasons. He currently leads all KHL goalies with a .945 save percentage after finishing last season in the same position. With those numbers, his Olympic performance, and his impending free-agent status in mind, he should get plenty of interest in North America.
Centre - Pius Suter, Switzerland
Age:21 | Team: Zurich SC (Switzerland)
Several prospects generated buzz prior to PyeongChang 2018, none moreso than Rasmus Dahlin and Tolvanen. Switzerland's Pius Suter, a talented but diminutive player that has flown under the radar for most of his professional career, is now deserving of some attention.
Suter, 21, led the Swiss with five points in four games. In 2014-15, as a 17-year-old playing in the OHL, Suter scored 43 goals and 72 points with the Guelph Storm. Now in the Swiss-A league, Suter has accumulated 38 points in 33 games for Zurich. He doesn't have much left to prove, as the NHL should be next.
Winger - Nikita Gusev, Olympic Athletes from Russia
Age:25 | Team: St. Petersburg SKA (KHL)
Since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round in 2012, Gusev has developed into one of the best young forwards playing overseas. After racking up 71 points in 57 games for St. Petersburg in 2016, he's notched 62 points this season. Gusev will depart PyeongChang as a gold medalist and the tournament's leading scorer with eight points in six games.
Gusev's rights were acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights this past summer, but the Russian will be a free agent if he opts to come to the NHL in 2019.
Winger - Patrick Hager, Germany
Age:29 | Team: Munich EHC (Germany)
Of all the players to crack the list, Hager transitioning to the NHL seems the most unlikely. That doesn't mean teams won't, and shouldn't, try to convince him.
Germany's run was one of the best stories to come out of PyeongChang, and Hager's play is a key reason his country was able to overcome the odds. The winger led the team with six points in seven games, including three goals. His offensive production was nothing to write home about in the early part of his hockey career, but he has scored more in recent seasons. It wouldn't be surprising if teams pursued Hager in hopes of developing him into an effective bottom-six player.
Defenseman - Maxim Noreau, Canada
Age:30 | Team: Bern SC (Switzerland)
Noreau is the first Canadian defenseman to accumulate seven points at the Olympics since Serge Roy (seven) and Gord Sherven (eight) did so at Calgary 1988.
The 30-year-old was the biggest and best surprise to come out of Canada's bronze-medal performance. Noreau, who last played in the NHL in 2010-11 when he appeared in five games with the Minnesota Wild, has since proved his worth as an offensive blue-liner, scoring at every other level including the AHL, and now in Switzerland. Despite his age (he'll be 31 in May), Noreau could fast-track to the NHL, potentially as a power-play specialist and, at worst, a bottom-pairing guy.
The four-time Selke Trophy winner is in the midst of a career year offensively, with 27 goals and 54 points in 54 games. His exceptional two-way play has put him into consideration in a wide-open Hart Trophy race.
Chris Kelly will go from Olympic bronze to a shot at the Silver Mug.
Team Canada's Olympic captain signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, an agreement that will pay him $1.25 million prorated for the balance of the season.
The contract also contains unspecified bonuses.
Prior to joining the Olympic squad, the 37-year-old Kelly appeared in 16 games with Belleville, the Senators' AHL squad, for which he tallied two assists.
Kelly registered 12 points in 82 games with Ottawa last season.
While the longtime Montreal Canadiens forward was dealt to the rival club Sunday, his time in Toronto may not be for long, as the pending unrestricted free agent has already established the contract parameters to sign back with the Canadiens this offseason, reports Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Plekanec does not carry a no-trade pact, but the only club he has ever known respected his wishes Sunday by keeping him in the Eastern Conference. That will surely play into the Canadiens' favor should Plekanec reach free agency.
Plekanec was drafted by the Canadiens in 2001. His 981 games played ranks seventh in franchise history.
Only 11 days after a horrific mass shooting, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. has reason to celebrate.
That's because the school's hockey team won the Lightning High School Hockey League Tier 1 state title Sunday morning, knocking off the No. 1-seeded team to earn the championship.
The uplifting win comes less than two weeks after a former student opened fire on teachers and students at the school, killing 17 people.
Boston already boasts a stacked forward lineup that includes the likes of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand, and with an experienced, pure sniper like Nash now in that mix, the Bruins have the potential to be a very tough team to deal with down the stretch.
However, a trade of this magnitude has obvious ramifications that are sure to ripple throughout the league.
With that in mind, theScore's NHL editors Sean O'Leary and Flip Livingstone break down what the trade means for the Rangers, Bruins, and rest of the league.
Bruins cement status as legit Stanley Cup threat
While there is no denying Nash's days as a 30- to 40-goal man are firmly behind him, Boston is still getting a game-changing forward who's developed into a smarter, more complete player in recent seasons.
His hulking 6-foot-4 frame and commitment to playing a two-way game make Nash the perfect add for a Bruins team that prides itself on playing an aggressive, defensively-responsible style.
A season in which Nash has registered only 28 points in 60 games shouldn't exactly lead Bruins fans to start planning the parade, but his playoff track record might - 41 points and two game-winning goals in 77 career postseason games.
The Bruins already can score with the best in the business (191 goals - tied for sixth-most in the league), but with Nash now in the fold, expect Boston's offensive output to increase.
Boston was already a serious contender to be sipping from the Cup come June. And now that Nash is rocking black and yellow, it just became the favorite.
What does the winger market look like now?
(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)
If Nash, 33, fetched a roster player, two-picks and a prospect, what does that mean for the other wingers rumored to be available?
Evander Kane, Mike Hoffman, Max Pacioretty and perhaps even James van Riemsdyk could all be on the move by Monday. All of whom are younger, cheaper, and have produced more points than Nash so far this season. Nash certainly holds the advantage in experience, but one wonders if any potential suitors would have to give up more than the Bruins did with a market already established.
The teams looking to sell sure hope so.
Nice work, Rangers
After ownership announced the team will forego pursuing it's slim chances at earning a playoff spot and commit to a full-on rebuild just over two weeks ago, the Rangers have already done a terrific job gathering valuable assets on their expendable players.
After dealing Nash, Nick Holden, and Michael Grabner, the Rangers now own six picks in the first three rounds of the 2018 draft, a luxury they were never even close to having through their years as Stanley Cup contenders.
All in all, it's been a good week for general manager Jeff Gorton & Co.
The Rangers just added 4 picks in the past 5 days and haven’t even moved their most valuable trade asset yet. That’s some tidy work.
New York can still fetch another hefty return by trading captain Ryan McDonagh, whose drawn interest from plenty of teams as an affordable top-four blue liner. His departure would kick the Rangers' tank into overdrive, but would further help stock a previously bare cupboard with even more picks and prospects.
The Rangers made a long-term pledge to build their team the right way, but based on their body of work so far, perhaps the plan has already been accelerated.
No offense to Mark Letestu, but there are some much larger (literally) pieces still potentially on the move out of Edmonton, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting seven teams have reached out to the Oilers regarding forward Patrick Maroon.
Maroon has been a much-talked-about player in recent weeks, but a deal has yet to be finalized for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound winger.
In 57 games for the Oilers this season, Maroon has registered 14 goals and 16 assists to go along with a Corsi For rating of 54 percent.
