from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

We understand this isn’t easy. We understand these players mean a great deal to the franchise and this city. We also understand the players in question — Alex Burrows, Alex Edler, Ryan Miller, Hansen; sorry, the Sedins are in a different category — have no-trade clauses and both Benning and Linden have said they won’t approach players about waiving their no-trades.

But they did with Jason Garrison and Kevin Bieksa in past years. They also went down this road with Dan Hamhuis last season who agreed to waive his no-trade late in the game. In the end, Benning couldn’t make a deal, Hamhuis went to free agency and the Canucks got nothing for their player.

The organization can’t afford to stand pat again at this deadline. This is a team that’s staring down the barrel of back-to-back 28th-place finishes. They can’t sell another season with this same group. They have to be in the business of the future.

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