One year ago, the Vancouver Canucks were a major letdown at the trade deadline. They were among the worst teams in the Western Conference and were expected to ship away pending free agents Dan Hamhuis and/or Radim Vrbata while securing draft picks and possibly young prospects to help their rebuilding plan.
But shortly after 3 PM eastern time, Canucks fans learned that Hamhuis and Vrbata would finish the season in Vancouver. Figuratively, both left and signed with new teams — Hamhuis going to the Dallas Stars and Vrbata returning to the Arizona Coyotes.