Vancouver Canucks Gaudette trade was expedited by team’s COVID-19 outbreak

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As the Canucks get set to return to game action on Friday, we are learning more about what prompted the team to trade Adam Gaudette. And it seems Vancouver’s COVID-19 cases pushed things to the breaking point.

Gaudette’s tenure with the Canucks didn’t end with a storybook finish. Instead, it landed the label of patient zero for the team’s coronavirus outbreak.

Vancouver was already looking to trade the forward, but Gaudette bringing COVID into the locker room did not sit well with some of his teammates.

“This whole last couple of weeks has put an enormous strain on the franchise,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said in his 31 Thoughts Podcast. “It’s hard to believe that the past couple of weeks didn’t accelerate an already unhappy player’s departure.”

Gaudette’s time with the Canucks had plenty of ups and downs, with more of the latter this season.

“I think Gaudette was ready to go,” Friedman said. “I think he felt his career was stagnating in Vancouver and he was ready to move on. I think the Canucks were obviously ready to accommodate him.”

Gaudette gets a fresh start in Chicago, while Vancouver picked up Matthew Highmore. Highmore will join the team after passing the mandatory seven-day quarantine.

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