The Vancouver Canucks were busy on the first day of free agency signing seven players: Jake DeBrusk, Kiefer Sherwood, Derek Forbort, Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, Jiri Patera, and Nate Smith. After the mini shopping spree, general manager Patrik Allvin has very limited cap space to make any more moves (barring a trade, of course). He can, however, rummage around the bargain bin and potentially find some value in a few free agents left on the market.
Justin Schultz
When Justin Schultz was a coveted free agent coming out of the NCAA, the Canucks were one of the teams bidding for his services. While Allvin wasn’t the GM at the time, he might still be interested in the Vancouver native due to the current front office’s familiarity with him. In fact, it was then-Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford who acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers in 2015-16 and signed him to a three-year extension on the first day of free agency in 2017.
Related: Revisiting the 2019-20 Vancouver Canucks’ Playoff Run
Schultz had his best seasons with the Penguins, posting a career-high 12 goals and 51 points in 2016-17. He also shined in the playoffs with four goals and 13 points helping the Penguins to their second-straight Stanley Cup. Like DeBrusk, he has extensive postseason experience and was really good for the Seattle Kraken when they made it to the second round in 2023. He led all defencemen with three goals and 10 points, averaging only 15:54 of ice time.
If the Canucks end up signing Schultz, he could be reunited with his former defence partner in Seattle, Carson Soucy. They played 437:14 at even strength together and had a decent 51.27 Corsi for percentage (CF%). They were also an effective pairing in the playoffs, with the Kraken outscoring their opponents 10-4 along with their goaltenders posting a .945 save percentage when they were on the ice.
Schultz hasn’t come close to the 51 points he put up in Pittsburgh, but he’s remained good for 20-30 points and still has the mobility and offensive awareness that drew so many to him when he was a free agent coming out of college. He would add some much-needed speed to the right side that only has Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers that can rush the puck up the ice. According to AFPAnalytics, he is projected to sign a two-year deal worth almost $2.5 million average annual value (AAV). However, I see him signing for closer to $2 million or even less, especially if he signs later in the offseason.
Adam Boqvist
The Columbus Blue Jackets bought out Swedish defenceman Adam Boqvist and he is now an unrestricted free agent at 23 years old. Despite being the centrepiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks, he was eventually forced down the depth chart by Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, and top prospect Adam Jiricek. He also dealt with a lot of injury problems during his time in Columbus, never playing more than 52 games in a season. In 2023-24, he suffered various injuries that limited him to just 35 games, including a concussion that forced him to miss the final 16 games of the regular season. The buyout was just the final piece of bad luck during a campaign he would likely want to forget.
When healthy, Boqvist is a dynamic puck-moving defenceman with exceptional hockey IQ and awareness. He was selected eighth overall in 2018 for a reason and flashed some of his potential during his career-season in 2021-22 when he had 11 goals and 22 points. After that season, it appeared that he was destined to be a huge part of the Blue Jackets’ blue line, but of course, injuries have derailed that since then. He could still be an impact defenceman in the NHL one day, and the Canucks should take advantage of his bargain-basement value right now and sign him. AFPAnalytics puts his future contract at almost $2.4 million AAV on a three-year deal, but I could see him signing for closer to $1.5 or $2 million.
Tyson Barrie
Tyson Barrie hasn’t had it easy since being included in the trade for Mattias Ekholm. He used to be the main man on the power play in Edmonton with the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Now, he’s a free agent looking for a new home after an underwhelming stint in Music City where he only had four goals and 27 points in 65 games. Before that, he was averaging over 40 points a season and was a highly-touted power play specialist and offensive defenceman.
Barrie is another Vancouver native that could find his way to the Canucks on a bargain deal. He could anchor the second power play unit, along with adding more speed and puck movement to the defence corps. He was rumoured to be a target of Allvin’s last December, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him revisit that interest sometime this offseason. He won’t get nearly as much as he got on his last contract, with AFPAnalytics projecting a little over $1.74 million on a one-year deal.
Canucks Should Add One More Puck-Moving Defenceman in Free Agency
While the Canucks added Desharnais and Forbort to bolster the blue line, both of them aren’t known for their skating or offence. They are likely to take up residence on the penalty kill and make opponents afraid of getting crushed when they go on the attack. Schultz, Boqvist or Barrie would add that extra layer of speed and offensive ability to the defence, pushing the pace so that the team spends less time in their own zone. We will see what else Allvin has up his sleeve in the next couple of months, but one signing should be someone capable of moving the puck and putting up some points from the back end.
