The Vancouver Canucks haven’t been in position to buy at the trade deadline since 2015, the first year under general manager Jim Benning.
That year, the Canucks finished second in the Pacific Division and made the playoffs. Benning’s big move was acquiring forward Sven Baertschi from the Calgary Flames for a second round draft pick.
But over the past three trade deadlines, Benning has been forced to sell off veterans for draft picks and young roster players/draft picks. The Canucks were way out of the playoff race in those three years, so Benning never had the choice of being a potential buyer.