Canucks attempting to block the Oilers from making a trade.

The Vancouver Canucks may be contemplating a trade, and they may be doing it in large part to block one of their Canadian rivals from making the very same move.

On Monday, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman provided an update on the current trade rumors surrounding Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev, rattling off the names of a number of teams that are currently in the mix. Among those names were both the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, but it was Friedman's comments about the Canucks that were by far the most interesting.

According to Friedman, there is a genuine desire within the Canucks organization to prevent the Oilers from making a move that would add Tanev to their blue line.

"Vancouver I think it's very hard for them to do," admitted Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. "But I think they like the idea of it and they would really prefer Edmonton not get him."

There is of course more than just the rivalry between these two teams being weighed by Canucks management when considering such a decision. Both the Canucks and the Oilers are duking it out in the NHL's Pacific Division and, given their current position in the standings, could very well end up crossing paths in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. What better way would there be to get an advantage over a rival then to take a player that could have been on their team and adding him to your own?

As Friedman mentioned this deal won't be easy for the Canucks to pull off with Tanev having a 10-team no trade list, a cap hit of $4.5 million, and with a high asking price from the Flames as well as several other teams currently in the mix.