The Vancouver Canucks are sending blue-liner Nate Schmidt to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
Schmidt needs to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal, Dreger adds.
There are four seasons remaining on the 30-year-old's contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $5.95 million, according to CapFriendly.
The Canucks acquired Schmidt from the Vegas Golden Knights last offseason for a 2022 third-round pick, meaning Vancouver essentially rented him for one year.
His lone season with the Canucks didn't go as planned, as he recorded just 15 points over 54 games, and Schmidt's underlying numbers plummeted.
Here's Nate Schmidt's card, which took a turn for the worse last year with Vancouver. Comps aren't friendly. pic.twitter.com/huWXxL1QZs
— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) July 27, 2021
Prior to joining the Canucks, Schmidt enjoyed a stellar three-year run with the Golden Knights, averaging 41 points per 82 games.
If he can return to that form, Winnipeg's blue line should improve vastly next season, as the club also acquired Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Here's the Jets' current blue-line depth chart:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Josh Morrissey | Neal Pionk* |
| Brenden Dillon | Nate Schmidt |
| Logan Stanley* | Dylan DeMelo |
| Ville Heinola | Sami Niku |
| Dylan Samberg |
*Restricted free agent
Winnipeg's defense has been a weak area since the 2019 offseason when the team lost Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot.
The Canucks, meanwhile, are likely looking to clear cap space to re-sign pending restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Hughes, Myers, and the newly acquired Oliver Ekman-Larsson are the only proven commodities currently under team control on Vancouver's blue line.
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