Canucks GM Benning: 'We were never actively looking to trade Hunter Shinkaruk'

As time ticked down toward the beginning of the 2014 NHL entry draft, rumors swirled around several teams who reportedly coveted the Florida Panthers' first overall pick.

At the time, it was believed the Vancouver Canucks were putting together a package that included 2013 first-rounder Hunter Shinkaruk to try and woo the pick away from Florida.

According to Canucks general manager Jim Benning, the speculation surrounding Shinkaruk was absolutely false.

"I don’t know where that came from. We were never actively looking to trade Hunter Shinkaruk. This stuff gets started out there,” Benning told The Metro News.

“That’s not true.”

Shinkaruk, for his part, doesn't seem too bothered about the trade talk that surrounded him leading up to the draft.

“I guess, Twitter, you look at your tweets and there’s a ton of them with all the trade talk," Shinkaruk said. "So that was something I guess I’ve gotten out of the way now. I know how to handle that. This is the fun part of hockey. Ever since I was young I dreamed about doing this kind of stuff, so no complaining for sure.”