- The Vancouver Canucks announced today that they have named a new development and goalie coach for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Marko Torenius has been named to that role. The Sakyla, Finland native has worked as the goalie coach for SKA St. Petersburg since the 2014-15 season. Torenius has experience working with many talented goaltenders, including Igor Shesterkin, Mikko Koskinen, Magnus Hellberg, Yaroslav Askarov, and Pyotr Kochetkov.
Canucks Rumors
Ferris: Canucks Dropped The Ball On DiPietro's Development
While he works to help facilitate a trade for his client Michael DiPietro, Quartexx’s Darren Ferris voiced some frustration to Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province about how the Canucks have handled the young goaltender so far:
The 23-year-old basically had a lost season in 2020-21 as his presence on Vancouver’s taxi squad for most of the year limited him to just four games played, hardly ideal for development. Last season, he lost playing time to Spencer Martin (who’s now Thatcher Demko’s backup) while the Canucks brought in Collin Delia to partner up with Arturs Silovs with AHL Abbotsford next season, making DiPietro the odd man out. He accepted his qualifying offer earlier this month that will pay $840K in the NHL and $70K in the minors.
Brandon Sutter Still Dealing With COVID Symptoms
Former Vancouver Canucks center Brandon Sutter, who’s now an unrestricted free agent after his contract expired this offseason, hasn’t played an NHL game since May 1, 2021. That fact doesn’t look to change anytime soon, as Sutter tells The Province’s Ben Kuzma that he’s still dealing with symptoms of long COVID, presumably from his infection during the widespread outbreak on the Canucks during the 2020-21 season.
Sutter didn’t suit up at all in 2021-22 after symptoms worsened during the offseason. Overall in 2020-21, the now 33-year-old Sutter had nine goals and 12 points in 43 games.
With Sutter noting in the interview that he still can’t do any cardio training at this point, a return to NHL play for him seems like an infinitesimally small chance. He does say he’s still focused on returning to play, but with his symptoms not improving yet, it just doesn’t seem like a reality.
If it’s the end of the road for Sutter, he finishes with 152 goals, 137 assists, and 289 points in 770 career NHL games.
Latest On J.T. Miller
It appeared as though there might be a J.T. Miller trade in the works earlier this month when the entire NHL was gathered in Montreal for the draft. The Vancouver Canucks had not been able to work out an extension, and several reports emerged saying the “Miller watch” had started.
But then the draft came and went without incident, the Canucks added Ilya Mikheyev, Andrei Kuzmenko, and others in free agency, and now Miller’s camp is opening up about his desire to stay in Vancouver. In an article for The Athletic, Harman Dayal quotes agent Brian Bartlett:
I do think there’s a realistic path for an extension with the Canucks. J.T. loves it in Vancouver. He feels like the team is improving, he loved his role there, his family likes the city.
This messaging from the Miller camp will serve to put pressure on the Canucks, who have always maintained there is no rush to make a decision on the veteran forward. With him signed through the 2022-23 campaign, they have plenty of time to make a decision on whether to trade or extend Miller and could even push it off until partway through the year.
They too have indicated that an extension is possible, though whether they will offer something amenable to the Miller camp remains to be seen. Coming off a 32-goal, 99-point season, where he was the best player on the ice many nights, the 29-year-old is in line for a massive extension, regardless of whether it is with the Canucks or not.
Latest On Ilya Mikheyev
- There has been some nervousness from people across the NHL regarding Russian players and whether they’ll be able to easily return to North America from offseasons spent in Russia for training camps this fall. For the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, they won’t need to worry much longer about two of their players. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal has learned from agent Dan Milstein that the Canucks’ big offseason signing, Ilya Mikheyev, has arrived in North America in order to begin his preparations for the upcoming season. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker has also learned from Milstein that winger Vitali Kravtsov has arrived in New York City in advance of training camp.
Michael DiPietro Given Permission To Talk With Teams To Help Facilitate A Trade
- According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Vancouver Canucks have given goaltender Michael DiPietro and his agent, Darren Ferris, permission to talk with other teams to help facilitate a trade for the goaltender (link). Once a heralded goaltending prospect out of the OHL, DiPietro has yet to live up to the expectations set for him when Vancouver drafted him in the third-round in 2017. The goaltender had a strong 2019-20, his first full pro season, but dealt with injuries and limited playing time in 2020-21. He would rebound in 2021-22, but still hasn’t been able to pull himself back to the blue-chip status he once had. Even if DiPietro could make a full turnaround, he’ll find the net in Vancouver considerably blocked by that of 26-year-old star netminder Thatcher Demko, who is signed through 2025-26. A key distinction with this permission to talk to other teams is not to negotiate a contract, much like Anthony DeAngelo was allowed to do earlier this offseason, but to help find a trade to a destination that will work for DiPietro, with the goaltender having already accepted his qualifying offer yesterday.
Michael DiPietro Accepts Qualifying Offer
Per CapFriendly, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Michael DiPietro has accepted his one-year qualifying offer. DiPietro’s offer carries an $840K cap hit and a $70K minors salary. DiPietro re-joins a crowded min0r-league goaltending situation in Vancouver, as the team already has prospect goalie Arturs Silovs in place as well as offseason signing Collin Delia.
DiPietro, 23, was drafted 64th overall at the 2017 draft. A star in the OHL, DiPietro has had a difficult transition to professional hockey. DiPietro played 36 games as a rookie for the Utica Comets in 2019-20 and did well, going 21-11-2 with a .908 save percentage. DiPietro’s 2020-21 was a nightmare, as he barely saw the ice thanks to a mix of injuries and his situation as a third goalie.
DiPietro’s 2021-22 was okay, but not the resounding step forward many were hoping for. In 34 AHL games, DiPietro went 15-13-4 with a .901 save percentage. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported in June that the Canucks and DiPietro could be headed for a divorce this offseason, and it could be that a change of scenery is what DiPietro needs to live up to the hype as a prospect that he once held.
Andrew Brunette Joins Devils As Associate Coach
July 15: The Devils have officially announced Brunette as the team’s new associate coach, mentioning how he was a teammate of general manager Tom Fitzgerald with the Nashville Predators in 1998-99.
July 13: It’s not just players making news today. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the New Jersey Devils have reached a three-year agreement with Andrew Brunette on an associate coaching role. TSN’s Darren Dreger was first to report that things were tracking toward an agreement between Brunette and the New Jersey Devils, but also listed the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vancouver Canucks as teams with interest in the 2022 Jack Adams Award finalist.
Not often do you see a coach of the year contender immediately hit the open market, let alone do you see them settle for an associate coaching role. But with just five years of coaching experience in the NHL in total, and the Panthers opting to hire the more experienced Paul Maurice, Brunette hits the open market as a high-end support man for teams’ benches. In New Jersey, he’d serve behind an extremely experienced bench boss in Lindy Ruff, allowing him to gain just a little more time in the league before undoubtedly returning to a head coaching role down the road.
And after those three seasons, that’s undoubtedly what he’ll do. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him take over for Ruff in three years’ time, or even sooner if New Jersey decides to part with Ruff before that. It’s a good backup plan in case things go wrong with Ruff at the helm.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Christian Wolanin
Per CapFriendly, the Vancouver Canucks have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Christian Wolanin to a one-year, two-way deal paying him $750K in the NHL and $350K in the AHL.
Wolanin, 27, has 70 games of NHL experience between Ottawa, Buffalo, and Los Angeles. While it looked like Wolanin had legitimate NHL upside a few seasons ago with a 12-point year in 2018-19 in just 30 games at 23 years old, those days are behind him. A good option for a seventh defenseman, Wolanin adds to the pool of defensive depth Vancouver has built.
He’ll be competing with players like Kyle Burroughs, young Jack Rathbone, Noah Juulsen, and Wyatt Kalynuk to make the Canucks come training camp in September. If he doesn’t make the squad, he’s a risk to get claimed on waivers if the injury bug strikes other teams on defense.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Five Players
Outside of the big signing of Ilya Mikheyev, the Vancouver Canucks have added depth all over the roster today. The team has signed Curtis Lazar to a three-year contract worth a total of $3MM, Wyatt Kalynuk to a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary of $750K, Collin Delia on a one-year, one-way contract worth $750K, Dakota Joshua on a two-year contract worth a total of $1.65MM, and Phillip Di Giuseppe on a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary of $750K.
On Lazar, the biggest signing of the group, general manager Patrik Allvin released the following statement:
Curtis is a valuable addition to our group. He grew up a Canucks fan, was raised in BC, and already has a strong connection to our club. He is a responsible 200-foot player who can line up at centre or on the wing. Curtis brings energy, an ability to kill penalties and takes draws from the right side, which will be extremely valuable for our team.
Lazar will likely receive regular minutes in Vancouver, after proving he could handle them for the Boston Bruins this season. In 70 games, the 27-year-old scored eight goals and 16 points while racking up 186 hits. He’ll replace a player like Tyler Motte, who was traded away at the deadline, in bringing energy to the fourth line every night.
Joshua, meanwhile, was getting a good bit of attention in free agency because of his performance with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the Calder Cup playoffs. The 26-year-old forward had 15 points in 18 games, an impressive total given he hadn’t ever brought that kind of offense to the table in the past. His deal suggests he’ll also be in the mix for NHL minutes, though that is sort of a lottery ticket for the Canucks given how little experience he has to this point. Joshua has played in just 42 regular season NHL matches.
There was a time when Delia looked like he might be the next starting goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks but now he appears to be nothing more than some minor league depth. In 32 career appearances at the NHL level, he has a .904 save percentage and just nine wins. With Spencer Martin installed as the full-time backup, Delia shouldn’t be spending much time with the Canucks this season.
Kalynuk, 25, could though, if he can show that the early promise he had in 2020-21 was for real. The former University of Wisconsin standout played 21 games for the Chicago Blackhawks that season and had nine points but was limited to mostly minor league work this year. There are a lot of names ahead of him on the Vancouver depth chart but it’s not like all of them are consistent performers.