The Vancouver Canucks have avoided salary arbitration with recently-acquired forward Jason Dickinson. The club has announced that their new addition has signed a three-year contract with a $2.65MM AAV. The deal buys out one UFA year from Dickinson, who had filed for arbitration with a hearing set for August 20. PuckPedia reports that the deal breaks down as follows:
2021-22: $1.5MM + $500K Signing Bonus
2022-23: $2.7MM
2023-24: $3.25MM
Dickinson, 26, came over from the Dallas Stars early last month when it became clear that they could not protect him in the Expansion Draft and grew worried that they would lose him for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. It would have been an interesting theory to test, as the Kraken ended up setting their sights on top UFA defender Jamie Oleksiak, who they selected and signed to a long-term deal. Oleksiak’s availability as an impending free agent was something that Seattle GM Ron Francis likely planned on for some time and he may not have changed his plans even if Dickinson was available.
The Stars’ paranoia was the Canucks’ gain, as they added a versatile, two-way forward who should fit perfectly in head coach Travis Green’s system and it only took a third-round pick to do so. Vancouver clearly feels confident in Dickinson’s place on the team, as they have given him a multi-year deal at nearly double his previous $1.5MM AAV with a steep escalation in salary each year. Any resolution would have been a better alternative to an arbitration hearing, which would have been a difficult start to a new relationship. To Dickinson’s credit, he did prove over the past three years in Dallas, despite limited games and a bottom-six role, that he was well worth a raise. The hard-working forward flashed 30-point upside and special teams dependability while consistently winning puck battles and blocking shots. The type of player that a team can never have too many of, Dickinson hopes to provide the support that Vancouver needs to get back on track this season.
Whew good thing the Got Dickinson signed. Now hopefully they can figure the secondary guys like Pettersson and Hughes…
@backhandinbaptist – Bridge deals! Frugal ones, since we can’t have ol’ Jimbo going over the cliff again. There’s only so many times the Keystone Cops will bail him out! :)
Ahh yes I’m sure Hughes and Petey will be thrilled for a nice bridge when their contemporaries are hitting it big time! As an Oilers fan I kinda hope Jimbo doesn’t know what he’s doing haha
@backhandinbaptist – Well, I don’t think any of us really believed he could unload his own bad contracts, but he did it. After EP40’s recent comments, though, I’d tread lightly if I was Benning…
Lol!!!! How true is that
30 point upside? Wow, couldn’t be happier to get a guy signed who might earn a secondary assist every three games! Look out, Stanley, here we come!