Alex Edler chuckled before he answered the question.
Not a happy chuckle.
More like annoyed.
But it was the same question a lot of veteran Canucks have been asked the past couple of years -- if management approached him, would he be willing to waive his no-trade clause?
“I don’t know,” Edler told TSN 1040 radio today. “You can ask me that question if they ask me. I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”
Another veteran Vancouver defenseman, Chris Tanev, was part of the same interview. And with a modified no-trade that kicks in this summer, he got asked the question, too.
Though Tanev acknowledged the Canucks were “going in a new direction,” he didn’t sound desperate to jump ship.
“Right now, obviously me and Alex are happy to be here,” said Tanev. "(But) it’s a business. Anything can happen at any point. I think things happen when you’re usually not ready for them to happen.”
Edler, 30, is signed for two more seasons at a cap hit of $5 million.
Tanev, 27, has three more years at $4.45 million.
The Canucks, of course, have been hesitant to strip down their roster and undertake an aggressive rebuild, a la Toronto or Buffalo. Instead, GM Jim Benning has chosen to try and stay competitive, while bringing along young players at the same time.
But when Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows were dealt away at this year’s deadline, it may have signaled a slight shift in strategy.
And given Benning has said he’d be willing to trade a defenseman for help up front, well, that’s why Edler and Tanev got asked the question today.
It should be another interesting offseason in Vancouver.
Related: The Canucks have a big decision to make with Erik Gudbranson