Canucks among teams interested in Capitals forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, per Fourth Period

Ivan Miroshnichenko has suitors lining up this afternoon, and the Vancouver Canucks are reportedly near the front of that line.

Fourth Period reported Wednesday that Vancouver is among several clubs eyeing the Capitals forward. The Flames, Kraken, Kings and Flyers are also on the list, among others.

That's a lot of phone traffic for a 22-year-old who has dressed for just 3 of Washington's 10 games this season.

The Russian winger has one goal in that limited run, and it came on the power play. He's a +1, which is about all a sample that small can tell you.

Cheap, too. Miroshnichenko carries a $925,000 cap hit, the kind of number that lets a contender or a rebuilder take a swing without touching anything else on the books.

Washington doesn't have an obvious spot for him right now. Ryan Leonard, 21, has 8 points with two power-play goals, and 20-year-old Ilya Protas has played in all 10 games.

The Capitals sit at 6-4-0 under Spencer Carbery, with Alex Tuch carrying the scoring load. Tuch has 7 goals, and 4 of them won games.

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Last-place Canucks need far more than a young winger

Now look at Vancouver. The Canucks are 3-10-1 and sit 32nd in the league, dead last, heading into Thursday's stop in San Jose.

They did snap something last night, edging Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. But a 1-8-1 mark over the last 10 doesn't get fixed by one wild night in Southern California.

Here's the problem with this pursuit. Vancouver has allowed 65 goals, an average of 4.6 per night, and Kevin Lankinen owns an .807 save percentage through 8 appearances.

Chasing a depth winger with that going on is like buying new rims for a car with a smoking engine. Shiny, sure, and still stuck in the driveway.

Ryan Johnson's front office already has young forwards producing. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, also 22, has 4 goals over his last 5 games.

So where would Miroshnichenko even fit? A club that's 1-5-0 at home needs saves long before it needs another kid fighting for bottom-six minutes.

The other names on the list make more sense. Seattle, at 7-4-1, is in a better spot to stash a project, and Calgary has won four straight.

Then there's Philadelphia. The Flyers visit Washington tonight at 7:30, which makes this puck drop a lot more interesting than a Wednesday in October usually is.

Rick Tocchet's club comes in 3-7-4 with a -19 goal differential and two straight losses. Scoring help would not be turned away in that locker room.

For Chris Patrick, the question is price. Vincent Desharnais is on injured reserve until at least Dec. 5, and a young forward is exactly the chip that fills a hole on the blue line.

Washington and Vancouver meet twice in December, Dec. 1 in D.C. and Dec. 7 out west. Miroshnichenko could be wearing either sweater by then.

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