There’s an expectation that one of Canucks RFAs Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will have to take a short-term contract this summer in order for Vancouver to be cap-compliant for next season. Speaking with Vancouver Hockey Now’s Rob Simpson, Pat Brisson, the agent for both youngsters, indicated that there’s no indication yet as to which player could wind up with which type of contract. Simpson suggests that Pettersson, who has offer sheet eligibility, could be the likelier player to sign first since Hughes doesn’t have that right although the odds of the center receiving an offer sheet worth signing at this stage is highly unlikely. No discussions are expected over the coming days with GM Jim Benning taking a quick summer break before training camp, something many general managers around the league are likely doing.
Canucks Rumors
Minor Transactions: 08/20/21
With few NHL spots to go around and a fair amount of notable names still available on the open market, players have begun to make other plans for the 2021-22 season. While minor in scope at the current time, these move either include familiar players with NHL pasts or those with NHL futures. Don’t miss out on any of the action:
- Kevin Boyle is on his way to Italy. The former UMass Lowell star who has been a solid AHL goaltender for a number of years is chasing down a greater role overseas, as HC Bolzano of the IceHL has announced a one-year deal with the 29-year-old. Boyle has been on an NHL contract throughout his career, beginning with an entry-level deal with the Anaheim, two extensions with the Ducks, and then a move to the Detroit Red Wings last season. He has only made five NHL appearances, but his stellar play in that small sample size combined with his consistency in the minors made him an attractive depth option. Boyle is a major addition for the Bolzano Foxes, who ironically are replacing another former NHL goalie in departed starter Leland Irving.
- Though Anton Lindholm looked like he might become a fixture on the Colorado blue line early in his career, skating in 60 games with the Avalanche in his first two season in North America, he has only played in six NHL games in the three years since. This included zero NHL opportunities this past season following an off-season trade to the Chicago Blackhawks. Lindholm has decided to move on, signing a one-year deal with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk, per a team release. An experienced pro with deceptively good defensive play despite his smaller stature, Lindholm is a nice addition for the Bison. The Swedish native may not wind up back in North America, but at 26 and with ample ability he could still have a long European career ahead of him.
- After three strong seasons in the AHL to begin his pro career, Dave Gust earned a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. However, he ended up playing in just 16 AHL games, recording four points, and did not see any NHL action. Yet, he enjoyed his time with the Chicago Wolves enough that he has decided to stick with the organization. The team has announced a new one-year deal with Gust. At 27, Gust may begin to transition into a veteran mentor role in the AHL, but he will look to bounce back this year and prove that he does indeed belong on an NHL contract.
- The Vancouver Canucks did not feel that 2019 fourth-rounder Ethan Keppen was worthy of an entry-level contract, even after a year in the AHL, but they will give him another minor league deal. The Abbotsford Canucks have announced a one-year contract with Keppen, as the organization will continue to keep an eye on his development. With power forward size and scoring potential, having shown flashes in the OHL, Keppen is a worthy project even if he only managed one point in seven games with the Utica Comets this past season.
Danila Klimovich Expected To Play In QMJHL
- The Vancouver Canucks expect top draft pick Danila Klimovich to play in the QMJHL next season, according to Harman Dayal of The Athletic. The 41st overall pick in last month’s draft played for Belarus at the recent IIHF World Championship and is expected to take part in Olympic qualifiers at the end of the month. Klimovich was the 29th overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, and will play for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies if he does end up in the QMJHL.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Jason Dickinson
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.
Brisson: No Holdup In Talks For Hughes And Pettersson
While many teams have dealt with most of their restricted free agents already, that can’t be said for Vancouver who still has center Elias Pettersson and defenseman Quinn Hughes among their unsigned youngsters. Speaking with Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston, Pat Brisson – who represents both players – noted that there’s no holdup in talks between him and the Canucks. Part of the delay is that both short-term and long-term deals are being pondered for both players although it’s unlikely they will be able to afford to give each of them a contract that would buy out some UFA eligibility. It wouldn’t be surprising if talks pick up once they get a deal done with RFA center Jason Dickinson whose arbitration hearing is set for Friday. Once that’s in place, they’ll have a better idea of how much they’ll be able to spend on their two young stars.
Minor Transactions: 08/13/21
The NHL free agent market may seem like it slowing down, but the list of unsigned UFA’s remains impressive and there are still plenty of RFA’s in need of new deals as well. With only so many roster spots to go around, there will continue to be frequent minor moves made as NHL hopefuls shift their sights to the AHL and Europe. Keep up with those transactions right here:
- Defenseman Ashton Sautner is back with the Vancouver Canucks, sort of. The 27-year-old is staying in the organization, signing one-year deal with Vancouver’s new AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Sautner has been with the organization his whole career, initially signing as an undrafted free agent in 2015. While he has played 23 NHL games in his career, Sautner has not done enough at either level to show that he has the upside to be a regular at the top level. That doesn’t mean that he won’t one day get back on an NHL contract, but for the coming season he will stick with Abbotsford as a veteran leader in their inaugural season.
- Another player heading from Vancouver to Abbotsford is forward Tristen Nielsen, except this signing comes from the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. The Giants’ leading goal scorer this past season, Neilsen has signed a two-year deal, Abbotsford announced. The junior product is just 21 and has shown recent signs of offensive growth. The Canucks hope that a short-term minor league investment will turn into an NHL prospect down the road.
- Completing the Abbotsford trifecta is forward Jarid Lukosevicius, who the team announced has signed a one-year contract. Lukosevicious joins the Canucks after spending the past two seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins to begin his pro career. A college standout at the University of Denver, Lukosevicius is a hard-working, two-way forward who is still looking to establish a scoring touch in the pros.
- Once considered an up-and-coming NHL goalie prospect, Ryan Bednard will spend this season on an AHL deal as he tries to get his career back on track. The Hershey Bears have announced a one-year pact with the 24-year-old netminder. A seventh-round flier of the Florida Panthers in 2015, Bednard left college early after posting stunning numbers at Bowling Green State University. He entered the pros with high expectations in 2019, but immediately ran into trouble in the AHL. Two years later, Bednard has mostly played in the ECHL in his young pro career with good-not-great numbers. While he has shown improvement, it wasn’t enough for Florida to extend him a qualifying offer this summer. He joins the Washington Capitals organization looking for a fresh start.
- A highly-regard draft pick and the centerpiece of the Jeff Skinner trade return, much was expected of Cliff Pu’s pro career. After three abysmal seasons split between the AHL and ECHL, it doesn’t seem like that will come to fruition for Pu. After playing for five different teams over three years with results at any level, Pu will make the jump to Europe next season in search of a new opportunity. The Vienna Capitals of the IceHL have announced a one-year deal with Pu, who despite his struggles will be an exciting addition for the team. Perhaps the 23-year-old can rediscover his scoring touch as a centerpiece player in Austria and work his way back to North America in the future.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Guillaume Brisebois
The Vancouver Canucks have signed Guillaume Brisebois to a one-year, two-way contract. The young defenseman was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file.
Brisebois, 24, played just one game for the Canucks this season, spending most of the year on the taxi squad or in the minor leagues. The 2015 third-round pick has just nine NHL appearances under his belt and has yet to record a single point.
He’ll be entering the 2021-22 season with a long list of defensemen ahead of him on the Canucks depth chart too, after the team made several additions this offseason. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn and Brad Hunt have all been brought aboard, while Travis Hamonic was re-signed. In all likelihood, Brisebois is ticketed for the AHL, where he’ll be part of the first season in Abbotsford.
The AHL Canucks are actually putting together quite a unit for their first season, bringing in several veteran minor league talents to make sure they’re competitive right away. Brisebois will only add to that level of talent, and wait for an injury or two to open up room on the NHL roster.
Pettersson Confident Deal Will Get Done, Wants To Play For Winning Team
- Elias Pettersson is another restricted free agent without a contract, but he doesn’t seem too worried about it. The Vancouver Canucks forward spoke to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige and explained that though the two sides are not in agreement on a deal yet, he’s confident they will find a solution. Pettersson also clearly indicated that he wants to be on a winning team, meaning if they want to keep him long-term, the Canucks better start making the playoffs more often.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Olli Juolevi
It wasn’t so long ago that Olli Juolevi was the fifth-overall pick in the NHL draft. Now, after finally showing he can play at the NHL level, he has signed a one-year contract worth the league minimum of $750K with the Vancouver Canucks. Canucks GM Jim Benning released a short statement on the deal:
Last season was an important step in Olli’s development as an everyday NHL defenceman. We’re glad to have him signed and look forward to his game progressing further next season.
Now 23, Juolevi actually made his NHL debut in last year’s bubble playoffs, playing one game on the Canucks’ run. This year he suited up 23 times for the team, recording two goals and three points in limited minutes. He hasn’t developed as quickly as the Canucks hoped—especially compared to some of the defensemen taken after him in 2016, like Mikhail Sergachev and Charlie McAvoy—but there’s still hope that Juolevi can be a valuable member of the Canucks blueline moving forward.
There will be plenty of competition this time around, after the Canucks brought in Brad Hunt and Luke Schenn as veteran depth options, but there is still a path to playing time for Juolevi. The fact that he’s on a league-minimum deal will only help his cause as Vancouver tries to navigate a tricky salary cap situation.
Though they have $13.3MM left in cap space, the Canucks still have to sign Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, not to mention an arbitration hearing coming up with Jason Dickinson. Things will get tight in a hurry, meaning cheap options like Juolevi could come in handy if he can prove he’s able to hold down a regular spot on the bottom-pair.
Canucks Acquire Spencer Martin
The Canucks have acquired some extra goaltending depth, announcing the acquisition of Spencer Martin from the Lightning in exchange for future considerations. There was no mention of what the future consideration could be or what is required for it to transfer.
The 26-year-old signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay with a cap hit of $800K in the NHL and $105K in the minors back in May but now won’t play a single game under that deal for them. He spent last season with their AHL affiliate in Syracuse, posting a 7-5-2 record with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 SV% in 15 games. His only NHL action came in three NHL appearances with Colorado back in 2017.
Tampa Bay had a bit of a logjam between the pipes after they signed Maxime Lagace at the beginning of free agency on Wednesday. He joins youngsters Hugo Alnefelt and Amir Miftakhov in their system so there was no room for Martin to play. He’ll have a better shot of seeing playing time in Vancouver as he’ll likely team up with Michael DiPietro in AHL Abbotsford with Arturs Silovs likely heading for the ECHL.