The Vancouver Canucks season has been filled with injury to their star players, and today head coach Travis Green confirmed that Loui Eriksson will miss the remainder with a fractured rib. Eriksson last played on February 25th, but will be shut down for the Canucks final 18 games.
Eriksson’s tenure with the Canucks has been anything but what they expected when the team signed him to a six-year, $36MM contract in the summer of 2016. Coming off a 30-goal season with the Boston Bruins in 2015-16, Eriksson then scored just 11 goals and 24 points last season, a total he’ll come just shy of in 2017-18. This season has seen him suffer from several injuries, and he’ll end the year with just 10 goals and 23 points, his worst output since a 19-point rookie campaign in 2006-07.
With four more years and a $6MM cap hit, Eriksson’s contract is looking like one of the worst around the league. He’ll turn 33 before the beginning of next season, and now has just 47 points through 115 games with the Canucks. The three-time 70-point man has just looked out of sorts since joining Vancouver, and because of the front-loaded nature of his contract is almost buyout proof.
If the Canucks were to consider a buyout this summer, it would only save them $500K of cap space over the next three seasons, and $2.5MM in 2021-22. Add four additional years of a $500K cap charge, and it’s simply not worth it for the rebuilding club. Instead, they’ll hope he can find some of the success he had earlier in his career and bring it west with him when he returns for the 2018-19 season.
THATS why they couldn’t trade him at the deadline!
And because no one in there right mind would want this stiff
Teams never learn on these long term deals taking players into their mid-30’s and beyond. So many around the league. Either on IR or can’t keep up anymore. Lucic, Ladd, most of Chicago, on and on. Another lockout looming to bail out GM stupidity.
As a Bruins fan I was sad to see Loui go but when I saw the contract he got I was totally ok with the B’s not retaining him. In a small way I feel bad for guys like this, for 2-3m every team in the league would want him if he was healthy but because of his insane contract he’s considered a disappointment and a bust. Obviously I don’t feel that bad since he’s making way more than he’s worth but that’s gotta disheartening for an athlete to be considered those things because a GM foolishly gave you too much.
Same goes for Andrew MacDonald in Philly. He’s a really solid defenseman who gives his all but his contract makes him hated