You don’t have to be big to score goals in the NHL and 5-foot-8 center Derek Roy has proven that so far during his NHL career. The Vancouver Canucks needed to add some scoring depth to their squad and acquired him from the Dallas Stars in a trade on Tuesday, just one day ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline.
The Canucks have been hit by injuries to the center ice position this season and have also been finding it increasingly difficult to score goals lately. The Canucks gave up a second-round pick in this summer’s draft for Roy along with defenseman Kevin Connauton, a young prospect.
The 29-year-old Roy hasn’t exactly been setting the league on fire this season with his goal-scoring though, as he has found the back of the net just four times this season.
He’s added 18 assists, however, and has 22 points in 30 games at the time of the trade. The Canucks are also taking a bit of a gamble on him contract-wise since he’s scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the current season.
Roy enjoyed a standout career with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in Canada before being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres. He played the first eight years of his NHL career in Buffalo and averaged close to 30 goals and 73 points a season from 2007-10 as the team’s top center.
He then suffered a few injuries and they affected his scoring prowess. He scored 44 points last season in 80 games on 17 goals and 27 assists. He was then traded to Dallas during the off-season for Adam Pardy and Steve Ott. Roy's current contract sees him make $4 million a year toward the salary cap and the six-year deal expires at the end of the season.
Vancouver can handle the salary cap hit because David Booth is on the long-term injury list, as he’s out for the season after undergoing surgery on his ankle. The Canucks have several other key forwards out with injuries: centers Manny Malhotra and Ryan Kesler.
Malhotra is also out for the remainder of the season. He made find that his career is also over, as general manager Mike Gillis placed him on the injury list due to problems related to an old eye injury.
Kesler has managed to play in just seven games this season as he’s suffered from shoulder and foot problems and has also undergone surgery. He could return to the lineup in a couple of weeks and should be ready for the postseason if the Canucks make it.
At the time of the trade, Vancouver was sitting fourth in the Western Conference with 44 points. They have a seven-point lead on the ninth-place Edmonton Oilers with the top eight teams making the playoffs.
Roy is expected to see some time on Vancouver’s second power play unit. The power play has been suffering without Kesler and has plummeted to 29th place in the league as it’s clicking at a lowly 12.8-percent.
