Canucks just opened the door for a Maple Leafs trade, and the timing is perfect

Vancouver sits at 9-12-2 this season and are hanging around the basement of the Western Conference and want to get younger, making veterans more expendable, especially if this season is a lost cause.

The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly trying to get younger, which means they are going to need to trade away some of their veterans in order to do so.

There's no direct confirmation about any of their players being shopped, but Elliotte Friedman confirms the team is at least exploring options.

In a recent article for Sportsnet, Friedman noted that according to several sources close to him that the Canucks are trying to get younger by shipping out their aging players:

With that in mind, who are some names that Vancouver may be willing to part ways with?

These names fall into the veteran category Vancouver could logically shop based on age, contract status, and roster role -- not players Friedman confirmed individually:

- Evander Kane (34)
- Tyler Myers (35)
- Teddy Blueger (31)
- Kiefer Sherwood (30)
- Connor Garland (29)
- David Kampf (31)
- Jake DeBrusk (29)
- Derek Forbort (33)

While several players could improve the Maple Leafs, there are a couple of players who could fit the profile of a Craig Berube-led team.

Sherwood and Garland are two forwards who would be able to bring a new dynamic to the top six, adding both offense and a relentless amount of heart. Sherwood is uber-physical and an underrated scorer, meanwhile Garland is above average defensively and will play under any circumstances.

Blueger would be a big improvement over Max Domi down the middle, as he is much better defensively, wins more face-offs, is more physical, and offers the same level of offense as Domi -- it's a win-win.

Toronto needs to be careful about going after a name like Myers or Kane though, as while they have been some of the better names in the league, the team is already slow and adding bigger, aging players is not going to help matters.

Unlike his former alma mater the Flames, Vancouver's apparent fire sale puts a lot of pressure on Brad Treliving because he doesn't have any excuses.

Calgary is hesitant to work with their former GM, and Toronto has been heavily linked to several names including Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson.

But that's going to take a lot of work, meanwhile Toronto can offer some younger pieces for the Canucks while adding the proper pieces.

There's a real need to improve defensively and add some top-six help, and the team can kill two birds with one stone by adding players like Sherwood and Blueger.

Toronto has movable pieces such as mid‑tier prospects, depth forwards, and 2025 picks -- assets Vancouver is known to value when retooling.

That makes the Leafs one of the few teams positioned to match what the Canucks want.

Names like Matias Maccelli could be in play given his relative youth and cheap contract but there's nothing to indicate he is on the market; he just fits the profile Vancouver wants.

Or the team could even dip into their prospect pool and pluck names like Borya Valis, Noah Chadwick, William Villeneuve and Luke Haymes from the Marlies.

The Maple Leafs have to do something different or they are going to keep spinning their wheels. With reports that it might be hard for Vancouver to keep names like Sherwood around given recent production numbers, Toronto has a great opportunity.

If Vancouver begins moving pieces soon, Toronto may be forced into action - and this stretch could define Brad Treliving's tenure.