Florida Panthers Expected To Sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is landing on his feet after getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, he’s expected to sign a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers worth $2.25MM.
Ekman-Larsson hadn’t at all lived up to expectations in Vancouver, but the decision to buy him out with four years left on his deal surprised many. It is the largest non-compliance buyout in NHL history, and the Swede will now earn an additional $2.25MM this season on top of the $2.13MM he’s slated to receive in real cash from Vancouver and $290K from Arizona. It’s still less money than the $10.5MM base salary he was owed from his previous contract in 2023-24.
For the Panthers, this signing represents a low-risk, medium-reward move. Ekman-Larsson is a former All-Star and Olympic medalist, but he’s been wildly inconsistent in the past few seasons and has played long stretches of being a defensive liability in both Vancouver and Arizona, where he was a captain for three seasons between 2018 and 2021.
Now 31, Ekman-Larsson could slot into Florida’s top four to start the season and maybe longer. For now, he serves as a direct replacement on the left side for veteran Marc Staal, who’s on the UFA market. He does find himself with the best opportunity to win in quite a while, joining a Panthers team fresh off a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final.
From a financial standpoint, the one-year, $2.25MM deal is a decent bit of work for the Panthers. It provides them with a cost-effective option to bolster their defensive depth without committing to a long-term contract – something they’d reportedly prioritized achieving.
Last season, Ekman-Larsson logged two goals and 22 points in 54 games with the Canucks, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. He’ll likely see a reduction in those minutes as the season progresses for Florida and they return to full health on the blueline.
Sharks And Canucks Have Discussed Tyler Myers Trade
There has been an expectation for a while now that the Canucks will look to move the final year and $6MM that Tyler Myers has remaining on his contract in an effort to free up some cap space this summer. In a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Sharks are a team that’s believed to have discussed a Myers trade with Vancouver to the point that there has been a deal on the table for several weeks now.
It’s worth noting that Myers has a $5MM signing bonus that is payable in the new league year. For many players, the payment date for those bonuses is July 1st. However, Myers is one of the exceptions with his bonus believed to be payable in mid-September. With that in mind, it’s possible that this could be the hold-up in a swap although Seravalli suggested that this isn’t necessarily the case.
The 33-year-old looked to be a two-way threat when he first came to the NHL with his best two offensive seasons coming during his first two years with Buffalo. However, he has become more of a defense-only player, especially in recent years as he has managed just a single goal in each of the last two years with Vancouver.
However, he has logged more than 20 minutes per game throughout his career and while he may be better suited for a lower role at this point, the fact he can still cover tough minutes might be appealing to a team like San Jose which isn’t exactly loaded with proven blueliners and is trying to move their top one in Erik Karlsson. In-season, he’ll have a prorated salary of just $1MM which could only help from a trade value perspective.
Considering what the market has been for teams looking to dump salary, Vancouver shouldn’t be expecting much of a return, if any, to clear Myers off the books. But if they do have a viable option on the table to take on the contract, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take it, either now or even if they have to wait until closer to training camp when the bonus is paid off. If a deal is either done or agreed on in principle, Vancouver could be a team to watch for when the market opens up less than 24 hours from now.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Noah Juulsen
The Vancouver Canucks have agreed to terms with defenseman Noah Juulsen on a two-year, two-way contract, the team announced today via Twitter. CapFriendly reports Juulsen’s deal carries a $775K average annual value with the following structure:
2023-24: $775K NHL salary, $450K AHL salary
2024-25: $775K NHL salary, $475K AHL salary
Juulsen, a former first-round pick of Montreal, appeared in 12 NHL games for the Canucks this season, his highest total since he skated in 21 with the Canadiens in 2018-19. Between Vancouver and AHL Abbotsford, the 26-year-old played 61 regular-season games in 2022-23 – his most since turning pro in 2017. Once a highly touted two-way defense prospect, Juulsen’s pro career has been derailed by multiple severe injuries.
Playing in 49 regular-season games with the Abbotsford Canucks, Juulsen recorded a career-high 17 assists and 20 points, good enough for third on the team among defenders. Vancouver/Abbotsford is Juulsen’s third stop in his NHL career after the Florida Panthers claimed him on waivers to begin the 2020-21 campaign. Vancouver acquired him in a swap involving another first-round pick that failed to pan out, Olli Juolevi, nine months later.
Juulsen likely doesn’t have much of an NHL future ahead of him, but it’s a good story to see him get significant compensation and (hopefully) continue a major role in the minors. That’s what Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin expects of the British Columbia-born defender over the next two seasons:
We are happy to have Noah back with our hockey club. He showed last season that he can step up and compete for a spot at the NHL level and also was a key leader and contributor in Abbotsford both on and off the ice.
Along with reigning AHL defenseman of the year Christian Wolanin, Juulsen will provide a high-end veteran presence to Vancouver’s developing defense prospects, including recent undrafted college free agent signings Cole McWard and Akito Hirose.
Canucks Have Interest In Carson Soucy, Looking To Move Tyler Myers
- Speculation continues around the future of the Vancouver Canucks defense corps after the team bought out Oliver Ekman-Larsson earlier this month. Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Canucks have an expected interest in Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, who will likely become a free agent on Saturday. Seravalli also believes the Canucks have engaged in discussions regarding a potential trade involving Tyler Myers, which would clear an additional $6MM of cap space by moving the final season of the 33-year-old defenseman’s contract.
Snapshots: Dubois, Lucic, Galchenyuk
The Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets appeared close to a Pierre-Luc Dubois trade over the weekend, but things haven’t progressed as quickly as expected. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there is “still work to be done” and that the Jets haven’t even given Los Angeles permission to discuss an extension with the center.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic, meanwhile, tweets that the Montreal Canadiens are still open to finding a way to make it work, if the Kings aren’t able to close the deal. Darren Dreger of TSN adds that the Canadiens have re-engaged, making it unclear where Dubois will actually end up.
- One landing spot has been ruled out for Milan Lucic, as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that the Vancouver Canucks are no longer in the mix. The Canucks had reportedly expressed interest in the pending free agent forward, who will be leaving the Calgary Flames after three seasons. Now 35, there is no longer much offensive upside in the veteran forward, but he can still be an imposing physical presence on the ice.
- Alex Galchenyuk, the player acquired by the Nashville Predators in yesterday’s Ryan Johansen deal, will not be re-signed by the team according to LeBrun. His inclusion was simply to clear a contract slot off the books for the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old Galchenyuk played just 11 games in the NHL this season, failing to record a single point.
Canucks Notes: Pettersson, Draft, Pearson
During a press availability earlier today, the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Patrik Allvin, spoke with the media about a wide range of topics, including injury reports, extensions, the draft, etc. Although the Canucks have plenty of roster reconstruction to take care of this offseason, keeping their most important player is another vital issue at hand.
Elias Pettersson, who just finished the best season of his young career with 39 goals and 63 assists, will be eligible for a contract extension in a few short days. At his age and the talent he brings to the Canucks organization, it is reasonable to assume that Pettersson’s next contract may be $80MM over eight years if not more.
Surprisingly, during the media availability, Allvin appeared very calm about a possible extension for Petterson, saying, “We’re going to sit down when the time is right. There is no rush” (Tweet Link). With plenty of roster turnover expected this summer, the extension for Petterson should be top of mind for the Canucks. Along with Quinn Hughes, Pettersson is a main building block that Vancouver is expected to build around. Without a long-term extension in place with him, it will be difficult for Vancouver to cultivate a long-term plan around him this offseason, if they do acquire outside talent.
Other notes:
- Already sitting with the 11th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, it does not sound like Allvin is satisfied with their current positioning. In the same meeting with the press, Allvin said, “I’m looking at options to trade up, if that’s an option” (Tweet Link). Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any teams in the top seven of this year’s draft would be willing to trade down. With reasonable expectations, the Washington Capitals (eighth), Detroit Red Wings (ninth), and St.Louis Blues (10th) seem the most likely group above Vancouver to make a trade, but even that should be considered a low probability.
- Lastly, on the injury front, Allvin did say that forward Tanner Pearson should be fully healed from wrist surgery by the end of summer, and be fully expected to join the team for training camp (Tweet Link). On long-term injured reserve for much of last season, his activation would mean his $3.25MM would go back on the books, tightening the Canucks’ cap space even further.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Receiving Immediate Interest After Buyout
- It doesn’t appear defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be without a home for long. After getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks last week, Ekman-Larsson’s agent, Kevin Epp, tell’s CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal that upwards of 10 teams have shown interest in bringing him on, including some contending teams. One team that immediately jumps out as a natural fit for a veteran defenseman on a cheap deal needing some reduced minutes to be successful is the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’d sit on the third pairing behind Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev on their depth chart, and Ekman-Larsson’s situation isn’t all too dissimilar to that of Kevin Shattenkirk a few seasons ago.
Canucks Might Not Qualify Bear, Pearson Has Had Seven Surgeries Now
- With Ethan Bear needing shoulder surgery, it is no longer a guarantee that the Canucks will tender the blueliner a qualifying offer next week, reports CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link). Bear is owed a $2.3MM qualifier but is set to miss at least the first couple of months of the season. With cap space still at somewhat of a premium for Vancouver, that might be too high of a price tag for their liking. Meanwhile, Dhaliwal adds that the Canucks are working on a new contract for pending UFA defenseman Noah Juulsen and have reached out with an offer to pending UFA rearguard Kyle Burroughs. As for goalie Collin Delia, the door isn’t closed on a return but the odds of him re-signing appear to be dropping.
Canucks Notes: Soucy, Martinez, Lucic
The Vancouver Canucks will surely weaponize some cap space when free agency opens after buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson late last week, and they’ll likely have upwards of $10MM to play with, given their potential for long-term injured reserve relief. One name the team could pursue if he hits the open market is Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, who CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal believes the Canucks have an interest in.
Soucy’s gained a reputation as a reliable defensive option further down the depth chart and brings 250 games of NHL experience split between the Kraken and Minnesota Wild. The 28-year-old registered three goals and 16 points in 78 games this year, marking his worst full-time campaign offensively, but he still managed strong defensive play at even strength and on the penalty kill. He’ll undoubtedly command upwards of $2MM on a multi-year contract, but he’s the type of value player the Canucks need to address a long-standing weakness – especially with their newfound cap space.
Other rumblings around the Canucks today:
- The Athletic’s Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal listed Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez as Vancouver’s top trade target this offseason, should they decide to add to their roster outside of free agency. Martinez is getting up there in age at 35 years old but has just one year left at a relatively affordable $5.25MM cap hit. With Vegas boasting substantial defensive depth and needing additional flexibility to attempt to re-sign Ivan Barbashev, a move to the Canucks could make sense for all parties involved. A left-shot defender, Martinez would essentially replace (and massively upgrade) Ekman-Larsson’s vacated spot on the team at a lesser cap hit.
- Dhaliwal also reported this morning the Canucks are considering making a pitch for veteran power forward Milan Lucic in free agency, as the winger will reportedly be hitting the open market on July 1 and won’t re-sign with the Calgary Flames. Lucic has long been linked to his hometown of Vancouver and could now finally make some sense for the team, given a cap hit that’s likely to be close to the league minimum. The 35-year-old scored a career-low 19 points in 77 games as a Flame in a fourth-line role last year and is coming off a massive seven-year, $42MM contract signed with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2016.
Vancouver Canucks Were "Seeking Flexibility" With Ekman-Larsson Buyout
- After using a massive buyout on defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Canucks are still undecided on how they want to use their newfound cap space, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Speaking on CHEK TV’s Donnie and Dhali show, Friedman reports the Canucks were simply seeking flexibility with the buyout and are looking to upgrade every skater position. The team has at least $6.4MM of space to work with this offseason, per CapFriendly, which could end up being as high as the $15MM neighborhood depending on the injury and contract statuses of forward Tanner Pearson and defensemen Ethan Bear and Tucker Poolman.