VANCOUVER — Tyler Myers knew he was about to extend his trade mission with the Vancouver Canucks when he walked into the dressing room and his teammates started calling out to him earlier this week.

“Everyone was like, ‘Are we still here?'” Myers said with a laugh Wednesday on the phone with Sportsnet. “It wasn’t difficult, but it was a little strange. It’s a situation you don’t see a lot in the league, but I enjoyed spending time with the players. Today, I was lucky enough to be with the guys when the trade happened, so I got a chance to say goodbye. A lot of players don’t get that opportunity. Yeah, it was emotional.”

After nearly seven tumultuous seasons in the National Hockey League in Vancouver, a precipitous drop in the standings after some impressive playoff runs by the Canucks, Myers was the last to leave the locker room after the Dallas Stars acquired the 36-year-old defenseman with a second- and fourth-round draft pick.

Myers grew up in Calgary but was born in Texas. Her mother still lives in Texas and she has family support.

He met his wife, Michela, while playing junior hockey in Kelowna, and the couple has settled in Kelowna since Myers won the Calder Trophy with the Buffalo Sabers in 2010. Their children, Tristan, Skyler, and Tatum, are mostly raised in British Columbia. Medical support for Tristan has been established here, and Tyler has spoken publicly about Tristan’s special needs.

So it wasn’t easy for him to waive his no-transfer clause and leave the Canucks with one year left on his contract.

“That was definitely a factor. We talked about it quite a bit,” Myers said of the impact on the family. “But we get it, and Tristan actually adapts to the change very well. He’s excited to get the new jersey.”

“When this all started a few weeks ago, I really didn’t know what to think about. I wanted to take some time and let everything play out and then consider my options. When I found out Dallas was a possibility and started thinking about it, I realized it ticked a lot of boxes for us. I still have family and an opportunity to join a team that has a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.”

“Playing in Vancouver was special, not only for me, but for my family. I’m incredibly grateful and lucky to be able to say I had that opportunity. We call BC home, but for my family, and I’m thinking about my kids, it was incredible to be able to accomplish this. Vancouver will always have a special place in our hearts.”

The Canucks removed Myers from the lineup a week ago, a day after the Detroit Red Wings made a trade offer to Vancouver general manager Patrick Albin.

Despite continued interest from Dallas, Wednesday’s trade was only finalized when Stars GM Jim Nill called Allvin as the Canucks manager was driving across the Burrard Bridge on his morning commute to the arena.

Despite the uncertainty and mental stress of the past week, Myers continued to show up to the rink every morning for practices, workouts and team meetings. He also wanted to play in the game, but the Canucks took him out of the lineup to protect an asset.

“I just want to be very clear on the record that I am not abandoning (NMC) to go to Detroit,” Myers said. “That wasn’t true. When this started, we just wanted to evaluate all possible options, and in the end we just ended up in Dallas. I have a lot of respect for Detroit and Steve Yzerman.”

Everyone in the hockey world respects Myers, a 17-year veteran who has played in 1,123 NHL games.

Myers, who was ridiculed by some in the market when former Canucks GM Jim Benning signed him as a free agent in 2019, has managed to turn “chaotic giraffe” from an insult to a term of endearment.

It turned out that the upsets were rarely his fault, and the 6-foot-8 blueliner earned respect from reporters and praise from his teammates for how well he handled the many plot twists. One of the biggest reasons for this was the organization’s dramatic change in direction this winter, less than two years after a 109-point season in which they fell one win short of reaching the Stanley Cup semifinals.

“I think the way he handled everything last week proved everything I was thinking,” Myers’ longest-serving teammate, winger Brock Boeser, told reporters Wednesday morning. “Well, he handled it very well. He showed up to the rink every day — we all knew he was probably going to get traded — still working on the game, still in the gym, still communicating with the players, acting like he was here.”

This deal appears to be a win-win for everyone involved.

Myers will be looking to win a Cup in Dallas, the Canucks will receive second- and fourth-round draft picks (2027 and 2029), and the Stars will have the veteran’s $3 million cap hit cut in half by retaining his salary, giving them an experienced and talented defenseman who will add character, leadership and depth to a formidable team that won 6-1 in Vancouver on Monday.

But even as the Canucks prepared for their senior skater’s exit, there was a somber ending when Myers left Rogers Arena before Wednesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, with the door closing behind him.

“When you’re a great leader and a good person, you miss being around players like that,” coach Adam Foote said. “A true professional every day.”

Foote added: “He will leave his mark on this dressing room for a long time.”

“I mean, he’s a very kind, caring guy,” Boeser said. “He came to the rink every day, good days and bad, (and) always had a smile on his face. Always in the gym, always working hard, always working on his game, shooting the puck on the ice. That’s something I’ll never forget. He was one of those veteran players who was so kind to everyone. We’re going to miss him, but he deserves a chance to win a Cup. He has a chance to win a Cup.”

“Yeah, it’s tough, but I think we all knew and knew this was coming. So at least we had time to prepare and we were able to spend time with him before he left.”

Myers, an NMC product with roots in B.C., wasn’t expected to be the first Canuck traded during NHL deadline week.

The team has been releasing free agent-eligible forwards Evander Cain and Teddy Blueger since November.

Both could still be moved before Friday’s deadline. But the Canucks have other players as well.

A combination of factors, including the NHL’s new playoff salary cap, contract length and trade restrictions, and the surprising underperformance of several Canuck players, make this a difficult market for Allvin.

“Well, the market is interesting,” he said. “I don’t even know if it’s a market. This year, with the salary cap for the first time in the playoffs, things have changed. It’s hard to see that. There are ongoing discussions, and we’ll find out here in 48 hours if something comes to fruition.”

“I think there will be more trades around the league, but I don’t know how many. As you all pointed out, protections and conditions (for Canuck players) are probably something teams are looking at as well.”

The Hurricanes will be the Canucks’ last opponent before Friday’s deadline. Vancouver has a road game against the Chicago Blackhawks that night, so the Canucks will need to make sure they have enough players in the lineup if some buzzer-beating trades occur.

The team in last place overall has a grotesque record of 2 wins, 15 losses, and 4 draws as of 2026, and has yet to win a road game.

“I would like to see more games within the group,” Allvin said. “It’s their job, it’s the players’ job, it’s our job to prepare every night for the fans and play to the top. We’re going to lose games, but we’ve got to play the right way and compete. And that’s what I want my group here to do moving forward. I want to see us grow. Losing games isn’t great for anyone. We owe it to the fans here for a great performance in Vancouver, and our players should play hard every night.”

Asked about struggling center Elias Pettersson, who has zero shots on net in three games since the Olympics, no goals in 14 games and was benched for the footy in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Seattle, Allvin said: “He’s pretty honest with himself. I think he said the game wasn’t where he wanted it to be. That being said, it’s easy to say we have to be better, but what are we actually going to do to get better? And I think that’s what we need to do.” I want to see it. ”

With Myers traded and Pierre-Olivier Joseph placed on injured reserve after being injured on Monday, the Canucks brought back minor league prospect Victor Mancini to fill in on defense. Wednesday’s trade leaves Filip Hronek as the only remaining defenseman from the group that reached Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs just 22 months ago.

“It’s sad,” Hronek said. “But at the same time, new and exciting things are happening.”