Friedman: Canucks will keep Kesler on the team if the value isn't there on the trade market

It was widely reported on Friday night that Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler met with team officials this week and remains very much disgruntled. The two-way ace and U.S. Olympian would prefer a trade to a contending team, something he reiterated to Canucks brass this week.

Discussing Kesler's availability in his weekly 30 Thoughts column on Saturday, CBC's Elliotte Friedman suggests that if the market for Kesler isn't up to snuff this summer, the team is probably willing to go into next season with the career Canuck on the roster:

The final question is: are the Canucks willing to start 2014-15 with Kesler on the roster? I think they'd prefer to make a trade, but will keep him if they don't like what's out there. That said, my guess is someone steps up.

A disgruntled Canucks star going through a very public, very drawn out trade process that stretches into a subsequent season? Someone should probably go check for a glitch in the Matrix, because this is giving us a serious sense of déjà vu.