from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,

The Canucks are set to start this season with five players on expiring contracts, four of whom would be valuable trade assets around the deadline.

But if the Canucks are in the mix for a post-season spot, are they really going to risk it at the deadline and by trading a regular or three?

They should.

You could make the case they should have done it a few months ago. With no intention of signing Shawn Matthias, the Canucks could have explored acquiring a pick for him around the deadline.

It would not have changed the way the season ended, or the playoffs.

Radim Vrbata is one of the players on an expiring contract. His signing is seen by many as one of GM Jim Benning’s best moves.

The team had a chance this summer to sell high on Vrbata, which would probably have been a shrewd, long-range move....

Yannick Weber, and Brandon Prust are others who could get mid-round picks at the deadline. So, too, is Chris Higgins, who does not look like a player who fits the long-term plans of the Canucks.

But no other player will have the value Dan Hamhuis could have around the deadline.

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