Bieksa for Fleischmann: Why and Why Not
By now, you’ve all heard of the Kevin Bieksa trade rumor that has the Canucks defenseman going to the Washington Capitals for forward Tomas Fleischmann. Here are a couple of quick thoughts. At first glance, Fleischmann doesn’t seem to fit the Canucks’ remaining roster needs. Ideally the Canucks would still make improvements to their penalty-kill and defensive depth; unfortunately, he doesn’t solve either of those issues. While fast and skilled, Fleischmann has a reputation for being a perimeter player and ineffective forechecker. His $2.6 million salary also provides little cap relief to the Canucks, a key factor because clearing cap...
