After establishing himself as a regular on Edmonton’s back end last season, Vincent Desharnais had enough of a market in free agency to secure a two-year, $4MM contract with Vancouver. However, things haven’t gone as well as planned and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Canucks are looking to find a better fit for the blueliner.
In 2023-24, Desharnais played in 78 regular season games with Edmonton. He averaged a little less than 16 minutes a night but logged big minutes on the penalty kill, making him a serviceable bottom-pairing defender. The 28-year-old also chipped in with 11 points, 122 blocked shots, and 135 hits. Desharnais also suited up in 16 of Edmonton’s 25 playoff contests, picking up 41 blocks and 40 hits while logging 17:15 per night.
Unfortunately for Desharnais and the Canucks, he hasn’t been able to play at the same level this season. He has been a healthy scratch multiple times already and his playing time has dipped a bit as well to just 15:08 per night while recording two assists, 23 hits, and 23 blocks. With Derek Forbort now healthy and Erik Brannstrom and Noah Juulsen playing well, Desharnais might be the seventh defenseman for the time being or at least be in a timeshare for playing time. It’s safe to say they were expecting him to be a regular when they signed him.
It’s worth noting that more than half of Desharnais’ total contract is paid in the form of signing bonuses; his base salary each season is the $775K league minimum. That means nearly half of the total compensation of the contract has already been paid out which might make him a bit more appealing to more budget-conscious teams. But with his early struggles and a $2MM cap charge for next season, the Canucks likely won’t be able to command much for Desharnais’ services.
However, if they can clear his contract, that would give them more ammunition from a cap space perspective to try to make a splash on the trade front closer to the trade deadline. While Filip Hronek is on LTIR, Vancouver has largely been able to stay out of using it, meaning they continue to bank extra room on a daily basis. Accordingly, it’s possible that GM Patrik Allvin looks to make that the priority over maximizing the trade return. Either way, it’s a situation that the Canucks likely weren’t anticipating when they signed Desharnais just over five months ago.
Vincent Desharnais will have some interest from teams for sure who want to strengthen their 3rd line. He’s a capable veteran defender & brings size, plus his contract is on the cheap end. We’ll see who makes a possible move for him.
He’s never been anything more than a big, Immobile, Career minor leaguer. Why Allvin targeted this guy in the offseason is beyond me.