The Vancouver Canucks entered the league in the 1970 expansion, four years after the Philadelphia Flyers. While the two franchises based on the opposite side of the continent don’t have much of a storied on-ice rivalry to break down, they were very friendly when it comes to trade. At least, they were for the first 20 years of Vancouver’s existence. Their last trade occurred in February of 2003 and they haven’t sat down for a negotiation since. It’s easily the Flyers’ longest trade drought of active teams in the league.
1/20/77 – Bob Dailey for Larry Goodenough and Jack McIlhargey
Bob Dailey was one of the better offensive defenseman of his era. Upon his arrival to the Flyers, he set records (that have since been broken) for most goals and points by a defenseman in a season. In 1981-82, entering his sixth season with the Flyers, he severely broke his ankle and was forced into early retirement at the age of 28.
Defenseman Larry Goodenough spent parts of four seasons with the Canucks, but missed time with injury and spent a fair amount of time in the minors. He only accumulated 113 NHL games during his time in Vancouver.
Jack McIlhargey was a defenseman who served as an enforcer, mainly in the AHL, during his four seasons with the Flyers. He played four seasons with the Canucks, all in the NHL, albeit in a fairly limited role before being reacquired by the Flyers in 1980.
12/29/78 – Dennis Ververgaert for Drew Callander and Kevin McCarthy
Dennis Ververgaert was the Canucks’ third overall pick in 1973 and was a big player for the early years of the franchise. The two-time all-star was fourth in Calder voting as a rookie and his 26 goals were a team record for over a decade. He was not utilized in the same role with the Flyers and spent just a season and a half with the club. He was released by the Flyers after the 1979-80 season came to a close and signed with the Washington Capitals in the summer.
Drew Callander was a forward who played just 18 games with the Flyers over three seasons. He’d play another 21 NHL games with the Canucks, spending most of his four seasons in the minor leagues.
Kevin McCarthy played just a season and a half with the Flyers, who drafted him 17th overall in 1977 after an impressive junior career. He required hip surgery after just one game with the Canucks, but would return the following season and develop into the offensive defenseman he was expected to when he was drafted. He served as captain for three seasons. He was shipped to the Penguins in 1983 as part of a rebuilding process in Vancouver.
1/2/80 – Jack McIlhargey for cash
Jack McIlhargey was reacquired by the Flyers after four seasons with the Canucks, but barely played any games upon his return. He played in 26 games to conclude the 1979-80 season and just three in 1980-81 after dealing with injuries. He was traded to Hartford in November of 1980.
3/12/85 – 1986 third round pick (Don Gibson)(traded to VAN) for Glen Cochrane
Glen Cochrane was the Flyers’ 50th overall pick in 1978 and he played six seasons in Philly. He played two seasons with Vancouver and was claimed claimed by the Blackhawks in the 1987 waiver draft.
The Flyers would trade the pick back to Vancouver 15 months later.
6/6/86 – JJ Daigneault, 1986 second round pick (Kent Hawley) and 1987 fifth round pick (Sean Fabian) (traded to VAN) for Rich Sutter, Dave Richter, 1986 third round pick (Don Gibson)
Defenseman JJ Daigneault was the Canucks’ 10th overall pick in 1984. He played a season-and-a-half with the Flyers after this trade and was dealt to the Canadiens in November of 1988.
The Flyers drafted forward Kent Hawley 28th overall in 1986. He spent three seasons in the AHL and never made the NHL.
They traded the 1987 fifth round pick back to Vancouver just over a calendar year later.
Rich Sutter played three seasons with the Flyers. He was a Canuck for four seasons where he’d enjoy the best years of his career, setting new new highs in goals, points, and penalty minutes.
Dave Richter was an enforcer who played 50 games with the Flyers after being acquired midway through the 1985-86 season. He played two rather uneventful seasons in Vancouver before he was traded to the Blues in 1988.
The Canucks drafted defenseman Don Gibson 49th overall in 1986. He played just 11 NHL games for them, spending the rest of his career in the IHL.
6/13/87 – 1989 fifth round pick (Peter White)(traded to VAN) for 1987 fifth round pick (Sean Fabian)
The was the Canucks moving into the fifth round of the 1987 draft and taking defenseman Sean Fabian 87th overall. He did not pursue a professional career after college.
The Flyers would later trade the 1989 fifth back to Vancouver in 1988.
8/31/87 – Wendell Young and 1990 third round pick (Kimbi Daniels) for Darren Jensen and Daryl Stanley
Goaltender Wendall Young was the Canucks’ 73rd overall pick in 1981 and spent four seasons with the organization, mainly in the AHL. He played just six NHL games with the Flyers and 51 with the Phantoms during 1878-88. He was traded to the Penguins before the start of the 1988-89 season where he’d win two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
The Flyers drafted forward Kimbi Daniels 44th overall in 1990. He played 27 games with the Flyers from 1990 to 1992, the only NHL games of his career. He became a journeyman in various minor leagues until 2009.
Darren Jensen was a goaltender who was primarily in the AHL during his time in Philly, but did serve as a backup after the tragic death of Pelle Lindbergh in 1985 and won the William Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed with his tandem mate Bob Froese in 1986. He was demoted to the minors the following season and was traded to Vancouver in the summer. Jensen played two seasons in their minor league system and retired in 1989.
Daryl Stanley was a depth defenseman who split his time between the AHL and NHL during his days in Philly. He spent three injury-riddled seasons with the Canucks before retiring in 1990.
3/1/88 – Willie Huber for Paul Lawless and 1989 fifth round pick (Peter White)
Hulking defenseman Willie Huber spent the 1987-88 season with three different clubs. He opened the campaign with the Rangers, before being acquired by the Canucks, and after 35 games in Vancouver was traded to the Flyers. He played 10 games to conclude the season. He entered a contract dispute and holdout for the entire 198-89 season and chose to retire instead.
Paul Lawless played eight games for the Flyers after he was acquired just five weeks prior from the Hartford Whalers. He spent 13 games in Vancouver to close out 1987-88 and started the 1988-89 season in the minor leagues before being shipped to Toronto the following February.
The Canucks reacquired this pick and again would trade the 1989 fifth round pick to the Oilers in exchange for Greg Adams and Doug Smith in February of 1989.
2/15/95 – Shawn Antoski for Josef Beranek
Shawn Antoski was the Canucks 18th overall pick in 1990. He played 70 games with their NHL squad over five seasons. He would play a season-and-a-half with the Flyers, all in the NHL, then left for the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency during 1996.
Josef Beranek was a forward who played two seasons with the Flyers were he’d post the best numbers of his NHL career. He played 98 games with the Canucks with heavily declined offensive production. He would bounce between his native Czech and the Pittsburgh Penguins over the following few seasons.
3/18/97 – Frantisek Kucera for futures
Frantisek Kucera was a journeyman defenseman who was with the Canucks for 15 months, which he spent mostly in the AHL. He played two games with the Flyers and nine with the Phantoms to close out the season and he returned to his native Czech Republic the following season.
The compensation for this trade is unknown.
2/5/98 – Mike Sillinger for 1998 fifth round pick (Garrett Prosofsky)(traded to PHI)
The Flyers were Mike Sillinger’s fourth NHL team of the 12 he’d eventually suit up for. He’d play 52 games over parts of two seasons in Philly and was traded to the Lightning in December of 1998.
The Flyers would later reacquire the 1998 fifth from Vancouver along with defenseman Dave Babych in exchange for a 1998 third round pick.
3/4/98 – Sean Burke for Garth Snow
Sean Burke had started the 1997-98 season with the Carolina Hurricanes and acquired by the Canucks in January. Two months later the Canucks traded him to the Flyers for fellow goaltender Garth Snow. Burke played 11 games with the Flyers to close out the season and joined the Florida Panthers during the 1998 offseason.
Snow served as the Flyers’ backup goaltender for three seasons. He was elevated to the Canucks starting goaltender over much of the next two seasons. He was not re-signed by the Canucks in the summer of 2000.
3/24/98 – Dave Babych and 1998 fifth round pick (Garrett Prosofsky) for 1998 third round pick (Justin Morrison)
Dave Babych was a 19-year NHL veteran upon his arrival to Philly. He played just 39 games over parts of two seasons with the Flyers before he was traded to LA one day shy of a calendar year later in March of 1999.
The Flyers drafted forward Garrett Prosofsky 139th overall in 1998. He never played for the organization.
The Canucks drafted forward Justin Morrison 81st overall in 1998. He played a few seasons with their AHL affiliate but never made the NHL.
10/19/98 – 2000 sixth round pick (Jeff Dwyer)(traded to ATL) for Trent Klatt
Trent Klatt was a Flyer for three seasons before this trade. During his five seasons with the Canucks, he’s best remembered as the third man on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
The Flyers traded the 2000 sixth round pick to the Thrashers in exchange for Kirby Law.
6/1/99 – 1999 sixth round pick (Konstantin Rudenko) for Pat Kavanagh
Pat Kavanagh was the Flyers’ 50th overall pick in 1997. He was traded to the Canucks before ever playing a game in Philadelphia. He spent four seasons in the Canucks’ organization, mainly in the AHL, with just six NHL games to his name in Vancouver.
The Flyers drafted forward Konstantin Rudenko 160th overall in 1999. He played in Russia his entire career.
12/17/01 – Donald Brashear and 2002 sixth round pick (Jaroslav Balastik) (traded to CBJ) for Jan Hlavac and 2002 third round pick (Brett Skinner)
Donald Brashear was an enforcer who spent six seasons with the Canucks and racked up a whopping 1,159 in just 388 games. He played a similar role for the Flyers, accumulating 648 penalty minutes in 270 games coming over the course of four seasons. He was not re-signed in the summer of 2006.
The Flyers traded the 2002 sixth round pick along with a 2002 seventh to Columbus for a 2005 fifth round pick. They drafted goaltender David Tremblay 140th overall in 2003. He did not play professionally.
Jan Hlavac was acquired by the Flyers when they dealt Eric Lindros to the Rangers in August of 2001. He played just 31 games with the Flyers before this trade. He played 55 games with the Canucks before getting dealt to the Hurricanes early the following season.
The Canucks drafted defenseman Brett Skinner 68th overall in 2002. He was traded to the Ducks at the 2006 trade deadline, less than a year after signing his entry-level deal out of college with Vancouver.
2/5/03 – Todd Warriner for conditional pick (condt not met)
The most recent trade between the Flyers and Canucks happened over 20 years ago. The Flyers acquired veteran forward Todd Warriner, who’d play just 13 games for the Flyers before being claimed off waivers by the Lightning just five weeks later.
The condition of the pick is unknown.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 