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Brandon Sutter Out Indefinitely For Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks aren’t expecting Brandon Sutter back anytime soon. The veteran forward is dealing with long-term symptoms from COVID-19, general manager Jim Benning told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, and will be out “for a while.” The team is focused on getting Sutter back to full health before putting him on the ice.

Sutter, 32, signed a new one-year, $1.125MM contract with the Canucks this offseason to stay with the team he’s been a part of since 2015. The checking center had just nine goals and 12 points last season but is still an effective enough bottom-six option that can take some of the tough defensive matchups. Without him, the team has Nic Petan in the fourth-line center spot at practice.

Earlier this year, Sutter detailed his experience with COVID-19 to Drance after being one of the many Canucks that tested positive for coronavirus last season. He explained then that he had trouble catching his breath and experienced light-headedness. Benning explained as camp started that Sutter was experiencing “fatigue” and he has not joined the team since. The executive confirmed today that Sutter does not have myocarditis. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Sutter trained for most of the offseason without experiencing issues, but the fatigue “started to become debilitating” in mid-August.

Sutter will not be listed on the Canucks active roster and it is not clear when he will be available to the team this season.

Florida Panthers Acquire Olli Juolevi From The Vancouver Canucks

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Florida Panthers are acquiring defenseman Olli Juolevi from the Vancouver Canucks. The move comes just two days ahead of the start of the regular season. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reports that Vancouver will receive forward Juho Lammikko and defenseman Noah Juulsen in return.

Drafted fifth overall in 2016, the 23-year-old Finn has failed to secure an NHL role up to this point in his career and made his NHL debut just last season. He’ll now look for a bigger role and a different, potentially more favorable system under coach Joel Quenneville in Florida. General manager Bill Zito spoke about the acquisition today:

We are excited to welcome another young defenseman like Olli to our organization. We look forward to Olli developing with our club as he joins our deepening core on the blueline.

Juolevi tallied just two goals and an assist in 23 games with Vancouver this season, averaging 13:13 per game. With Florida, it’s possible that he resumes a seventh defenseman role while he’s given more time to work with coaching staff.

When he is ready to enter the NHL lineup in South Florida, he’ll have to likely knock off one of Markus Nutivaara or Brandon Montour for a spot in the lineup. It won’t be an easy task, but it is possible if Juolevi begins to realize his top-ten pick potential.

Juolevi had been productive in the AHL over the past few seasons, tallying 38 points in 63 games with the Utica Comets from 2018-2020. If given more of a role in Florida, it’s likely that his offensive and defensive play would improve.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/9/21

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With the submission of season-opening rosters due on Monday, many teams should be making more cuts today.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)

F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Josh Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tristan Mullin (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Scott (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via WPLG’s David Dwork)

F Zac Dalpe (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Noah Juulsen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Kiersted (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Serron Noel (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Chase Priskie (to Charlotte, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release)

D Calen Addison (to Iowa, AHL)
F Adam Beckman (to Iowa, AHL)
F Marco Rossi (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie)

F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

F Joseph Gambardella (to Utica, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Mads Sogaard (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Michael Chaput (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Juuso Riikola (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

G Colten Ellis (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Springfield, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Carson Focht (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F William Lockwood (to Abbotsford, AHL)

San Jose Sharks Claim Jonah Gadjovich

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The San Jose Sharks have decided to claim Jonah Gadjovich off waivers, taking him away from the Vancouver Canucks according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He was the only player out of the 30 on waivers yesterday to be claimed.

Gadjovich, 22, was a second-round pick in 2017, selected 55th overall by the Canucks. The 6’2″ winger is a true power forward that can use his size effectively around the net, though his skating ability is still questionable at the NHL level and has held him back to this point. He received just one game with the Canucks last season, his NHL debut, and managed to rack up 17 minutes in penalties after instigating a fight with Calgary Flames’ Connor Mackey following an illegal hit.

Though there are concerns over whether he can truly become an impact player at the NHL level, he certainly was one for the Utica Comets last season. In 19 games at the AHL level he scored 15 goals, using that huge frame effectively in front of the net. He added just three assists to that total, indicating his offensive limitations, but for a bottom-six player, you could certainly do worse.

In San Jose, he could very well get a chance to fill a full-time role as the Sharks’ fourth line is not set in stone. The team is moving on without Evander Kane for the time being, meaning minutes have been opened up on the left wing. That’s exactly where Gadjovich could push for playing time, especially given his size. Alexander Barabanov, who is also in the mix for a bottom-six role, was absent from practice again today as he deals with a nagging injury.

Hughes, Pettersson Expected To Play In Final Two Preseason Games

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  • The Vancouver Canucks finally have their best two players joining camp after signing Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, but they won’t be playing tonight or Tuesday at the team’s next preseason matches. Travis Green told reporters including Harman Dayal of The Athletic that the plan currently is for Hughes and Pettersson to play in the team’s final two games, Thursday and Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Vancouver Canucks Agree To Terms On Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes Contracts

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October 3: Darren Dreger of TSN has reported that the final contract structure of both deals is as follows:

Pettersson
2021-22: $3MM salary + $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $7.8MM salary
2023-24: $10.25MM salary

Hughes
2021-22: $4MM salary
2022-23: $6.5MM salary
2023-24: $8.6MM salary
2024-25: $9.5MM salary
2025-26: $10.25MM salary
2026-27: $8.25MM salary

October 1: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Vancouver Canucks have agreed to terms on multi-year deals with restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Pettersson’s deal is for three years at an average annual value of $7.35MM, while Hughes’ deal is for six years at $7.85MM. LeBrun says that the contracts themselves have yet to be finalized.

Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah was the first to report last night that Hughes’ deal would be six years in length, while The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reported a three-year deal for Pettersson.

Pettersson’s three-year commitment comes after scoring 153 points in just 165 games during his first three seasons in the league. The fifth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft continues to be regarded as a top-ten center in the league by some, but injury issues this season limited his production (and negotiation leverage) with 21 points in 26 games. Winner of the 2019 Calder Trophy, Pettersson’s contract is certainly of spectacular value to the Canucks at this time. The scoring and two-way game Pettersson brings to the table both make it seem like he’s earning about $1.5-$2MM less than he should.

Hughes, a year younger than his forward counterpart, has had a near equal amount of success and accolades throughout his young career. While the soon-to-be-22-year-old has only two full NHL seasons under his belt, his 53 points in 68 games (along with 21:53 average time on ice) in 2019-20 were good enough to place him second in Calder Trophy voting, even earning some Norris Trophy votes along the way. While his defensive game stumbled slightly this year, the point production kept up with 41 points in 56 games. A long-term commitment is key here for Vancouver, ensuring some cost certainty at a reasonable cap hit while he continues to develop.

Concerns were aplenty surrounding Vancouver’s ability to fit both Pettersson and Hughes under an $81.5MM salary cap this season, but with forward Micheal Ferland headed to long-term injury reserve, general manager Jim Benning appears to have successfully manipulated a tight financial situation. CapFriendly projects a current cap hit of $82.9MM with a full 23-man roster for the Canucks, exceeding the salary cap by much less than Ferland’s $3.5MM cap hit. While the specifics of how Vancouver can maximize cap relief haven’t been hammered out quite yet, they’ll at least rest now knowing they’ll be compliant for the start of the season.

These contracts set up an important season for this Canucks core, as they look to return to the playoffs after a surprise run in 2020. Pettersson will likely be reprising his role as the team’s first-line center, being flanked by J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. The secondary scoring’s been bolstered by the addition of Conor Garland, while young wingers Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin could make big impacts.

Hughes comes in as the undisputed number one defenseman on the team after Alexander Edler’s departure in free agency to the Los Angeles Kings. While the additions of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tucker Poolman to the blueline have been controversial from an outside perspective, the team still hopes bounce-back campaigns are in order for both of them. Hughes’ ice time will undoubtedly increase from the 22:48 he played last year, becoming an increasingly important fixture within the team.

Brock Boeser Out At Least A Week

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  • Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss at least a week due to an undisclosed injury, relays Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday but hasn’t skated since.  With still more than a week left until the start of the regular season, Boeser should be ready to go on opening night as long as there aren’t any setbacks along the way.

Canucks Nearing Contract For Quinn Hughes

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Shortly after multiple reports surfaced that Vancouver was making progress on deals for their remaining restricted free agents, the Canucks appear to be closing in on a new contract for defenseman Quinn Hughes.  Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah is among those reporting (Twitter link) that the blueliner is nearing a six-year contract with an AAV of around $7.75MM.  If the agreement winds up being made official at those terms, it will be the richest contract handed out by Canucks GM Jim Benning.

Hughes, the seventh-overall pick in 2018, has quickly emerged as one of the bigger offensive threats from the back end around the NHL.  He has recorded 94 points in 124 games over his two seasons, good for a tie with Colorado’s Cale Makar for fourth among blueliners league-wide.  Makar, by comparison, inked a six-year deal of his own this summer, with an AAV of $9MM.  His play in his own end is still more of a work in progress but at 21, there is still plenty of time for improvement on that front.

The contract would buy out Hughes’ five remaining RFA-eligible seasons plus his first year of UFA eligibility so Vancouver doesn’t gain a lot of team control with this contract but ensures that their biggest offensive threat defensively will be ready to go for the start of the season where he will battle with newcomer Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the top spot on the left side of Vancouver’s defense.  Worth noting is that only the final year of his contract will be eligible for trade protection because it is the only UFA year.

With Vancouver having a little under $14MM in cap room per CapFriendly (before accounting for Micheal Ferland who is likely LTIR-bound again), it will likely push them in the direction of a bridge contract for RFA forward Elias Pettersson.  To that end, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that a three-year deal worth around $7.7MM could be on the table.  With both players being represented by CAA Sports, the deals have basically been worked on together and it wouldn’t be surprising if an announcement from the team will come when both players have officially agreed to terms.  That won’t happen tonight, reports Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link).

Latest On Vancouver’s Restricted Free Agents

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There are two notable absentees from Vancouver’s training camp in defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Elias Pettersson who remain unsigned.  However, it appears contract talks between the Canucks and their representatives at CAA are starting to improve as Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that some progress was made on both fronts today while Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that Hughes’ deal is closer to be being completed out of the two though they are being done together.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment (video link), TSN’s Darren Dreger mentions that the state of discussions could be classified as “grinding” so there is clearly some work still to be done.

While the Canucks would undoubtedly like to get long-term deals done with both players, they may not have the cap space to do so and keep wiggle room for in-season movement – roughly $17MM per CapFriendly if Micheal Ferland returns to LTIR.  Hughes would likely be seeking a deal similar to Cale Makar’s in Colorado ($9MM AAV for six years) while Pettersson’s comparables on a long-term pact could push him over the $9MM mark as well.

One potential factor here is the status of defenseman Travis Hamonic who remains unvaccinated with the deadline to opt out of the season coming up on Friday.  If that happens, he would come off the salary cap some of his $3MM AAV could be redirected towards Hughes and Pettersson although some would need to be earmarked to a replacement blueliner as well.

At the very least, it appears as if discussions are heading in the right direction.  And until Hamonic’s situation is finalized on Friday, they may have to wait a little longer until they officially know how much they’ll have available to spend on their young stars.

Defense Notes: Hamonic, Hajek, Capobianco

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Training camp is well underway but the Vancouver Canucks are still awaiting the arrival of veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic. Now, with the deadline to opt out of the coming season arriving on Friday, the team is left to wait to see if they will have the reliable blue liner back after extending him this off-season. Yet, it appears that they will remain patient and calm with Hamonic, who has family concerns to take into account with his decision. Hamonic previously opted out of the 2020 playoff bubble due to his daughter’s respiratory infection and with the NHL returning to a full slate of travel this season, he may be concerned about potential exposure to the Coronavirus and bringing that home. GM Jim Benning tells Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma that he is “confident” that Hamonic will arrive to camp and play this season, but also notes that “he’s dealing with a personal issue and I think everybody should just leave it alone.” Benning did however speak to the team’s COVID vaccination status when discussing Hamonic, which may also imply that he is unvaccinated, adding another layer to his decision. Whatever the cause, time is running out for Hamonic to make his decision, but the Canucks hope the veteran defenseman will be back in the fold as soon as possible.

    • Just a few years after being one of the cornerstone prospects in the Ryan McDonagh trade return, Libor Hajek’s job with the New York Rangers could be in jeopardy. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that sources believe Hajek has slid outside a starting job on the Rangers’ depth chart and possibly even outside of a roster spot. Behind established 23-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 21-year-old rising sophomore K’Andre Miller, and 20-year-old rookie Zac Jones, the 23-year-old Hajek has not done enough to assert himself as a roster lock and can no longer depend on his upside with so much talented youth around him. Lindgren and Miller both greatly outplayed Hajek last year and Jones came in late in the season, after a long college season that ended in a National Championship with UMass, and proceeded to match Hajek’s season point total in just ten games.  Beyond just the youngsters, Brooks reports that veteran free agent addition Patrik Nemeth is also above Hajek on the depth chart. With four lefties seemingly locked into roster spots, Hajek would have to unseat a righty to make the team – and that certainly won’t be Adam Fox or Jacob Trouba – or hope that New York opts to carry eight defenseman, five of which are lefties. Another promising rookie, Nils Lundkvist, is currently penciled in for the final spot on the right side, while a potential fifth lefty spot would also be open to competition from veterans Jarred Tinordi and Anthony Bitetto and promising prospect Matthew Robertson. This all goes to show that there are a lot of defensemen in the mix for the Rangers and Hajek no longer has the shine of a budding star. Even though the likes of Miller, Jones, Lundkvist, and Robertson are all waiver-exempt, don’t be surprised to see New York subject to Hajek to waivers anyhow in order to ensure the best players are on the NHL roster. Whether that decision ultimately means Hajek’s days in the Big Apple are numbered remains to be seen.
    • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that Kyle Capobianco is currently sidelined with a knee injury, which is exactly what the young defenseman did not want in training camp this year. Though PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that he is only considered day-to-day, this is a critical preseason for Capobianco. The left side of the Coyotes blue line was obliterated this off-season with the trade of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, free agent departures of Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle, and retirement of Niklas Hjalmarsson. Even with the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere to a left side now led by Jakob Chychrun, Capobianco flew up the depth chart into a top-three slot. This was his chance to finally secure an NHL starting job, but he risks missing out with a surplus of right-handed defensemen also jockeying for position. If youngsters like Victor Soderstrom, Conor Timmins, and Ty Emberson all prove they should be on the NHL roster while Capobianco sits out, he could lose his starting job, especially with veterans Ilya Lyubushkin and Anton Stralman able to play their off-side.

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