NHL trade Rumors are starting to circulate that the Vancouver Canucks are looking to trade Olli Juolevi. The 2016 first-rounder has struggled as a pro and sits fifth on the Canucks’ left-side defence depth chart.
Patrick Johnston of The Province reports Juolevi, who would require waivers to be re-assigned to the American Hockey League — and given his pedigree would likely be claimed — is being actively shopped around the league.
Johnston went on to say, If the Canucks can’t find a trade and decide to send him to AHL Abbotsford ahead of Monday’s NHL opening day roster deadline, he’ll have to be on waivers today.
The Canucks scouting team made a mistake drafting fifth overall in 2016, as the Canucks passed on higher-upside blue-liners — and Matthew Tkachuk — to take him.
As we have seen before, a change of scenery might do Juolevi well and he could turns things around and live up to his potential with another team.
Olli Juolevi career stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | London Knights | OHL | 57 | 9 | 33 | 42 | 16 | 38 |
| 2016-17 | London Knights | OHL | 58 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 36 | 26 |
| 2017-18 | TPS Turku | SM-liiga | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 | 7 |
| 2018-19 | Utica Comets | AHL | 18 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 2 | -12 |
| 2019-20 | Utica Comets | AHL | 45 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 24 | -8 |
| 2019-20 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020-21 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -1 |
| NHL Totals | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
