NHL Trade Rumors: Paul Gaustad Would Bring Much-Needed Toughness to Canucks

Paul Gaustad is exactly the type of player the Vancouver Canucks need to bolster their chances of getting over the Stanley Cup hump this season. The Buffalo Sabres center would bring the toughness and tenacity Vancouver has lacked in previous playoff runs.

Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reported last week Gaustad could be on the move due to Buffalo's struggles and his expiring contract. That was followed by a report from Kent Wilson of Hockey Prospectus, connecting “Goose” to the Canucks.

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The fix: The Canucks could supplement their defensive center depth and up their toughness quotient by acquiring the Buffalo Sabres' Paul Gaustad. The 30-year-old pivot is 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds and leads the Sabres in face-off win percentage (55.6).

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Gaustad is not a flashy player. He isn't going to end up on highlight shows because of a dazzling goal he scored, but that's not a problem for the Canucks. They have more than enough scoring punch up front, but could use a player who's willing to do the dirty work which is vital in the postseason.

That is Gaustad's modus operandi. The North Dakota native is willing to do the thankless work in the corners or in front of the net to help his team win.

He's the type of player where you can't simply look at the stat sheet to know how effective he is on a nightly basis. He only has 15 points in 51 games, but is surrounded by a roster of underperforming players and regularly outworks everybody else on the ice.

It's additions like Gaustad, which would get overlooked during a hectic trade deadline day, that can turn out to be the final piece a team needs. Especially a team with as much talent as Vancouver. He's willing to stand up for his teammates and isn't afraid to drop the gloves when it needs to be done.

Every team needs a couple players like that if it plans on surviving a deep playoff run. They are really the glue that holds everything together.

Gaustad becomes an even more attractive option for the Canucks when you consider the price to get him should be relatively low compared to most deadline deals.

Buffalo's playoff hopes are basically dead, so the Sabres will be looking to unload some talent in exchange for some reasonable combination of a draft pick and/or prospect to help them keep building for the future. It's been a wildly disappointing season, so they should certainly be sellers.

The Canucks are worried about winning right now, so sacrificing a little bit of the future to boost their chances is well worth the risk.

All told, Gaustad would be a perfect fit. If for some reason he doesn't work out, he's off the books at season's end and the Canucks wouldn't have moved the farm to get him like bigger names on the market.

It's really a no-lose scenario for Vancouver.