Former Canucks goalie Richard Brodeur isn’t a fan of the Arturs Silovs trade

Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Richard Brodeur had some interesting thoughts on the team’s offseason, most notably in the crease.

While Brodeur hasn’t played for the Canucks since 1988, he still keeps in the loop about the Canucks and what they’re up to. That includes their choices in the crease this summer, which included re-signing Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, and trading Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Brodeur spoke with Michael Potestio at Castanent Kamloops while in Kamloops for a solo art show, and expressed his concerns with the Canucks’ moves in net this summer, particularly calling out the team for trading Silovs.

“That kid is ready, and he’s going to have a good career, so I don’t know why they let this guy go, but I’m not the management,” said Brodeur.

Silovs was traded to the Penguins in July for winger Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick as the Canucks’ solution to their crowded goalie depth for the 2025-26 season, as they weren’t sure if they were going to lose the Riga, Latvia product on waivers with Demko and Lankinen already established as the team’s tandem.

Silovs likely would have been a top target for teams in need of goalie depth in that situation, as he was coming off of a stellar season in the AHL that saw him capture the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks and the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the team’s most valuable player. He had a 16-7 record, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts in 24 games during the run to the championship.

Silovs started the season in the NHL with Vancouver after making a name for himself in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which at the very least earned him the role of a tandem goalie with Lankinen while Demko was injured. However, he struggled with a 2-6-1 record and an .861 SV% in 10 games, and with Lankinen largely taking over goaltending duties, Silovs was sent to the AHL when Demko returned. In 21 games with Abbotsford during the regular season, he was much improved with a 14-5-1 record and a .908 SV%.

Brodeur was a longtime starting goaltender for the Canucks from 1980 to 1988, with a 126-173-62 record, an .872 SV%, and six shutouts across 377 regular season games, and a 12-17 record, an .897 SV% and one shutout in 29 playoff games. He received votes for both the Hart and Vezina Trophy in 1981-82, where he had a 20-18-12 record, an .893 SV% and two shutouts in 52 games. He also played for the New York Islanders and Hartford Whalers, although it was just eight total games between the two teams.

Brodeur was named the 31st greatest Canucks of all time by CanucksArmy earlier this summer.