I believe it was after the covid restrictions were lifted but maybe I am wrong. Top 4 D men dont get traded for 3rd round picks either. Like I said, I like him as a depth guy (not at 3 million) and hopefully he can platoon in the top 4 until Thomson or JBD are ready. Problem is having 7.4 million tied up between him and Zaitsev.
@Micklebot is right. He cleared waivers due to his vaccination status, and was also waffling on even playing that year due to the restrictions. This also, apparently, rubbed many of his teammates the wrong way and created an impetus for the Canucks to move him out.
By no means do I think he's a top-end top 4 guy anymore, but he's seemingly much happier to be here than he was in Vancouver. I think he's good enough to be a #4 on a playoff bubble team, which will be the case this season, but it all hinges on Sanderson being able to lead that pairing.
Hell, he'd pencil into the top 4 on both the Leafs and Panthers, and those teams are expected to make cup runs not just play "meaningful games". So while I'd love to improve on him, he's not as big a liability and our D is not as bad as some make it out to be.