Former Oiler Vincent Desharnais Facing Early Departure From Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks signed Desharnais in the offseason to a two year contract for $4M, and fans immediately thought it may be too much for a depth player.

So far this season, Desharnais just hasn't been able to live up to his contract value, and the Canucks are reportedly exploring trades for him already.

Through the first part of the season, the former Oilers defenceman was healthy scratched several times, and he only has 2 points and a -2 rating in 17 games.

According to further reports, the Canucks are having a hard time finding a suitor to take on Desharnais. Sportsnet's Satiar Shah has said there's been almost no interest for the big defenceman on the trade market.

Vincent Desharnais became a bit of a fan favourite in Edmonton for his long shot success story to make the NHL and his rugged style of play, but it was those reasons that made it smart for the Oilers to walk away from him in free agency.

After being drafted in the 7th round by the Oilers, he worked his way through the ECHL and AHL for years to make the Oilers. At the age of 28, Desharnais has only played 131 career NHL games - so he's a low skill player with relatively low experience.

He's a bottom pairing defenceman that provides size and physicality, but those aren't premium assets worth paying for in free agency.

$2M is a significant amount of yearly salary to pay any player, especially for a team trying to contend for the Stanley Cup - teams need good value from those cheap players. Right now, Desharnais isn't proving much value and his deficiencies are arguably hurting the Canucks.

The Edmonton Oilers are in the market for a defenceman this season, but a reunion with Desharnais should not be in the cards.

Whatever happens with Desharnais, Oilers fans will cheer him on to have success in the next stop of his career. It'll be much easier to cheer for him not playing on the Canucks anyway.