New Nate Schmidt Trade Details Emerge, Player Pushing for Deal?

Over the past few months, there have been some rumblings that the Vancouver Canucks may be looking to move defenceman Nate Schmidt, whom they acquired from the Vegas Knights less than a year ago. When this first came out, all signs pointed to the team wanting to move on rather than Schmidt himself, who struggled with just 15 points in 54 games. However, there is new information coming up that makes it sound like that may not entirely be the case.

Speaking on the Power Show on Sportsnet 650, Elliotte Friedman said he believes it may be Schmidt who wants out, and thinks the two sides are working together to find a deal. “I think everybody kind of knows where everyone stands, that maybe Schmidt would like to go somewhere else and maybe the team recognizes the marriage isn’t necessarily going to work out for both sides the way everybody hoped,” Friedman explained.

Downhill in a Hurry

This is an extremely disappointing development given all the excitement when Schmidt was first acquired. At the time, the trade was considered a major steal as the Golden Knights were in a cap crunch following the signing of Alex Pietrangelo and were forced to make a deal with the Canucks, receiving just a third-round pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in return. Despite the early triumph, it appears that after a bad season from both the player and team, the 29-year-old defenceman may get dealt once again.