Canucks’ Tyler Myers to sit against Jets for trade reasons: Sources

The Vancouver Canucks have largely been listening, as opposed to proactively attempting to move their veteran players with term, but it appears the club’s aggression as a seller is about to tick up ahead of the March 6 NHL trade deadline.

On Wednesday night, the Canucks announced that defenseman Tyler Myers would be held out of Vancouver’s lineup at home against the Winnipeg Jets for roster management reasons, and team sources confirmed to The Athletic that the move is related to a trade.

Myers is a veteran right-handed defender who has struggled this season, although that’s likely more environmental than it is related to his individual contributions. The 36-year-old has a full no-move clause, which becomes a modified 12-team no-trade clause after this season.

While holding a player out of the lineup for roster management reasons is common when a trade is at the 1-yard line and close to completion, Myers has unique circumstances. He has a young family who are a major priority for him, and they’re settled in Vancouver. Myers, who’s in his seventh season with the Canucks, spends his offseason in the interior of British Columbia, and he has shown no indication that he might desire to move.

From what we can gather from team and league sources, the ball is very much in Myers’ court at the moment, given that he has a full no-move clause.

While there has been some interest in his services, it appears that there is a specific trade package on the table that the Canucks prefer, and that Myers, for the moment, is taking time to assess his options.

Myers has this season and next remaining on a fairly team-friendly contract that carries a $3 million cap hit.