Canucks GM Jim Benning has refuted rumors that his team is in the mix to acquire Karlsson, John Shannon of Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

There has been a lot of smoke and mirrors concerning where Karlsson might end up ahead of the 2018-19 season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported early Wednesday that "there's a sense" that trade talks involving Karlsson -- specifically among Western Conference teams -- have intensified lately, and Vancouver was initially mentioned as one of the teams to have inquired about the stud defenseman. It probably wouldn't hurt any club to at least see exactly what it would take to obtain him, but a blueliner with 518 points (126 goals, 392 assists) through 627 career contests is obviously going to command a huge return -- including around $11 million AAV on his next contract -- and swinging such a deal promises to be a complex matter.