- Canucks defenseman Jett Woo underwent surgery to repair an upper-body injury this summer and is listed as out month-to-month, relays Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province. He played through the injury to help AHL Abbotsford win the Calder Cup back in the spring. The 25-year-old had 18 points in 67 games in the minors last season but will be waiting a while to make his 2025-26 debut.
Canucks Rumors
Pacific Notes: Canucks Updates, Hyman, Walman
After trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers last season, the Vancouver Canucks no longer have the luxury of two first-line caliber centers in their lineup. The departure of Miller via trade and the free agent departure of Pius Suter (the club’s highest-scoring pivot in 2024-25) has left the Canucks in a somewhat vulnerable position down the middle – but it’s one the club hopes to be able to trade its way out of. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin told the media, including Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor, that the club is “not waiting” when it comes to adding center reinforcements from outside the organization, and is “open for business” regarding making trades to add players.
This past summer’s trade market has been described by figures across the NHL’s front office and media landscape as uncharacteristically slow, with far fewer teams interested in trading established NHL talent for future assets such as prospects or draft capital. Allvin specifically said he believes the Canucks “have enough assets in our organization” and enough “draft capital if that’s needed.” The main element of a trade they appear to be missing, at least at this point in time, is another club willing to part with a capable center in exchange for something Vancouver those assets Vancouver is seeking to offer up.
- Allvin also updated the media on injuries to three Canucks players: Jett Woo, Ty Mueller, and Anri Ravinskis. Woo, 25, had surgery in August and is currently out on a month-to-month recovery timeline. It’s a tough blow for Woo, who was likely eyeing this upcoming preseason to make a push for an NHL roster spot after helping lead the AHL Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup championship. Mueller, 22, is injured on an undisclosed timeline, while Ravinskis is recovering from summer hernia surgery.
- The Nation Network’s Jason Gregor reported today that Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman won’t be on the ice with the rest of the Oilers for the first week of the club’s training camp. Hyman is still dealing with the wrist injury that knocked him out of last season’s playoffs, one that required offseason surgery. Hyman declined to establish a specific timeline related to his recovery. The 33-year-old is one of the Oilers’ most important forwards, scoring 54 goals and 77 points in 2023-24 and 27 goals last season.
- Oilers defenseman Jake Walman will begin the season playing on his off-hand side alongside Darnell Nurse, per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. Walman is a left-handed defenseman who ended last year playing on the left side alongside John Klingberg, but will now take up a role next to Nurse on what will presumably be the Oilers’ second pairing. Walman is entering a crucial contract year and if he can repeat his strong 2024-25 performance (he had seven goals, 40 points) he could line himself up to cash in nicely in free agency.
Canucks Exercise Team Option On Malhotra's Contract With Abbotsford
- The Canucks announced that they have exercised the team option on Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra’s contract, keeping him signed through the 2026-27 season. Malhotra had quite the first season in Vancouver’s system, leading Abbotsford to a 44-24-2-2 record in the regular season, including a late-season 13-game winning streak that gave them plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs. There, they went 16-8 overall on their way to the Calder Cup title, making the decision to extend his contract a very simple one.
Evening Notes: Evangelista, Canadiens Rookies, Cootes
Negotiations between winger Luke Evangelista and the Nashville Predators have begun to stall per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who reports that yearly salary is what’s created the wedge. Evangelista is one of the top unsigned restricted free agents after players like Connor Zary and Marco Rossi both found new deals. The 23-year-old Evangelista posted an impressive 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season. It was a suitable encore to the 16 goals and 39 points he posted in 80 games of the 2023-24 season.
A pair of successful scoring seasons would surely make the player’s camp confident in earning a hardy salary. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger recently signed a two-year, $4.5MM contract extension, while New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer recently signed a three-year, $12MM contract. Those could be the boundaries for a short-term, bridge contract for Evangelista, who has certainly proved he can stick in Nashville’s top nine. Should contract talks continue to stall, the Predators could opt for a one-year, sub-$1MM contract and kick negotiations back to next summer.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned a group of rookies back to their respective leagues after rookie camp came to a close. In turn, Montreal assigned defensemen Carlos Handel to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Andrew MacNiel to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, and Bryce Pickford to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Goaltenders Arseny Radkov and Mikus Vecvanags will return to Russia and Latvia, respectively. The team has also returned a handful of rookie camp invites. All of the moves come as expected, though it rings as exciting news for fans of Medicine Hat and Halifax, as their top defenders return for another season.
- Top Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes was absent from the team’s final rookie camp scrimmage on Sunday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Drance later added that Cootes was held out for precautionary reasons and will still attend training camp next week. That will keep the reigning 15th overall pick on track to take his first crack at breaking into the NHL. Cootes had a strong season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last year. He dominated the middle of the ice with quick plays all year long, working up to 63 points and 60 games in total. Cootes seems most likely set for a return to Seattle next season, though a strong training camp could earn him the chance at sticking in the pros for nine games.
Allvin: Canucks Still Looking For Center Help
Ever since they traded J.T. Miller midseason, the Canucks have been on the lookout for help down the middle. However, they haven’t had any success doing so just yet. Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, GM Patrik Allvin acknowledged that he hasn’t given up looking for center help just yet and continues to keep an eye on the market:
As Allvin noted, there hasn’t been much in the way of available impact centers this offseason. Several free agents ultimately re-signed with their teams while the trade market hasn’t materialized either, especially with so many teams joining the Canucks in their pursuit of a middleman. As things stand, Filip Chytil projects to be Vancouver’s second center heading into training camp, a spot on the depth chart he hasn’t held too often in his career.
Kravtsov Won't Look To Return To Russia If Sent To Minors
- After a successful KHL season, winger Vitali Kravtsov surprised some with his decision to sign a two-way deal with the Canucks over the summer. Speaking with Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express, he discussed his departure from Traktor while also noting that he won’t be looking to return home should he make it through waivers unclaimed and be sent to the AHL. Kravtsov had 27 goals and 31 assists in 66 KHL contests last season.
Kiefer Sherwood Changes Agents
After a breakout showing last season, Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood is one of the more intriguing under-the-radar potential 2026 unrestricted free agents. Whenever Vancouver talks about an extension with him, however, they’ll now be dealing with a new agent. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Sherwood has changed agencies and is now represented by Wasserman after RSG Hockey handled the deal that landed him with the Canucks last summer.
After being more of a role player in Nashville in the first few seasons of his career, the 30-year-old became a regular for the first time in 2023-24 with the Predators. That season, he put up 10 goals, 17 assists, and 234 hits which made him an interesting target heading into free agency. As a result, he was able to land a two-year, $3MM contract Vancouver despite his limited track record.
But it turns out that he had another gear to get to. Last season, Sherwood beat those personal bests from the year before, tallying 19 goals, 21 assists, and a whopping 462 hits, the latter number representing an NHL record since the stat started officially being tracked in 2007-08. Notably, his playing time jumped to a little under 15 minutes per night. Instead of being the fourth liner he had been earlier, he was now regularly playing in Vancouver’s middle six.
That has Sherwood well-positioned to earn a fair-sized raise on his next contract. AFP Analytics projected a three-year deal worth around $2.75MM earlier this summer if he were to sign an extension now while another performance like this next season could push the asking price closer to the $4MM mark next summer.
It’s unknown if discussions have already started between the Canucks and Sherwood with this agent change being a move to try to get discussions rekindled or if it’s just planning ahead for talks later on. Either way, Sherwood is going to be heading for a nice raise between now and next summer with a new representative involved in those talks.
Prospect Riley Patterson Traded In OHL
- A day after his trade request was made public, Canucks prospect Riley Patterson is on the move in the OHL. Niagara announced that they’ve acquired the center from Barrie in exchange for five draft picks. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and has averaged just under a point per game in the past two seasons with the Colts, including a 25-goal, 59-point effort last season. Vancouver has until June 1st to sign Patterson to an entry-level deal or lose his rights so there will be a lot riding on the upcoming season for him.
Canucks Had Trade Interest In Kravtsov Before Signing Him
- There was a fair bit of interest in Canucks winger Vitali Kravtsov before Vancouver brought him back to North America, reports Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link). With that in mind, the team is thought to have an internal belief that the 25-year-old will be claimed off waivers if Vancouver tries to send him to the minors. Kravtsov is coming off a strong KHL season and signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this month. He’ll need to get into 16 NHL games this coming season to remain RFA-eligible and based on this, he might have a shot at getting there even if he’s cut from the Canucks in training camp.
Canucks Make Multiple Changes To Hockey Ops Department
- Drawing nearer to the start of training camp and preseason, the Vancouver Canucks announced a few changes to their Hockey Operations department. In a public announcement, General Manager Patrik Allvin revealed three significant staff changes: Brian Hamilton has been promoted to Head Equipment Manager, Ian Beckenstein has been appointed as the Video Coach, and Taylor Phillips has taken on the role of Executive Assistant of Hockey Operations. In terms of outside hires, the team brought in Evan Mathias as the Assistant Video Coach.
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