In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks’ News & Rumors, the 2023 NHL Draft passed, and the Canucks opened up free agency by addressing their main needs. Addtionally, an update on rumors of a potential trade with the San Jose Sharks for Tyler Myers.
Canucks Improve Blue Line
The Canucks signed Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, and Matt Irwin to improve their blue line over the weekend. Cole was the first of the three to sign with the Canucks, agreeing to a one-year, $3 million deal. The 34-year-old posted 17 points in 78 games last season while leading the Tampa Bay Lightning in shorthanded time on ice with 225:24 minutes. Cole will likely replace Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the lineup.
“Ian brings a lot of experience to our hockey team and will definitely bolster our blue line,” general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin said. “He knows what it takes to be successful in the NHL, knows how to compete, and he knows how to be a leader both on and off the ice. Bringing in someone with a Stanley Cup experience and pedigree is an important addition to our core group.”
Meanwhile, Soucy signed a three-year deal with an average annual value of $3.25 million. The 28-year-old will provide the Canucks with size and physical play, as he stands at 6-foot-5, 208 pounds. Soucy is versatile as he is a left-shot defenceman who can play on either side of the ice. Allvin said the blueliner can play on the defensive end and chip in offensively while being a useful player on the penalty kill.
Lastly, Irwin signed a one-year, two-way contract to provide depth on the blue line. The 35-year-old will likely fight for a roster spot with the likes of Jack Rathbone and Akito Hirose. The Canucks add three veterans to their blue line. Soucy and Cole will likely play in the top four, along with Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek.
Blueger New Third Line Centre
Along with Soucy, Cole, and Irwin, the team signed Teddy Blueger to address their third-line centre needs. The Canucks signed Blueger to a one-year, $1.9 million deal. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and GM Allvin are familiar with the forward due to his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent five years in Pittsburgh before joining the Vegas Golden Knights midway through last season, where he won his first Stanley Cup.
However, as The Athletic’s Thomas Drance points out, there are questions about Blueger’s ability as a third-line centre (from ‘10 quick thoughts on the Canucks’ moves as the free agent market opens,’ The Athletic, July 1, 2023). He notes that during his time with the Penguins, the organization needed an upgrade over Jeff Carter as their third-line centre but still traded Blueger. Drance said his defensive skill will help, and signing him to a low-risk deal is better than the organization overpaying for a bigger name.
Related: Meet the New Canucks: Teddy Blueger
The Canucks will likely rely on Blueger as their third-line centre, as the club doesn’t have many options. The Canucks took the right approach by not signing another player to a deal with term. The organization previously overpaid for Jason Dickinson a few years ago and lost their 2024 second-round pick when they traded him away. Unless Aatu Raty, Nils Aman, or Linus Karlsson are ready for a bigger role, Blueger is locked in as the third-line centre.
Canucks’ 2023 Draft Class
The Canucks selected seven players at the 2023 NHL Draft. They had one pick in the first round, two in the third, three in the fourth and one in the seventh.
With the 11th overall pick, the Canucks selected right-shot defenceman Tom Willander. Their first pick in the third round was Hunter Brzustewicz, another right-shot defender, at 75th overall. At 89, the club added another blueliner in Sawyer Mynio, a left-shot d-man. In the fourth round, they selected centre Ty Mueller with the 105th overall, and two picks later took left winger Vilmer Alriksson. The Canucks’ last pick in the fourth round was centre Matthew Perkins. Finally, the organization’s last pick of the draft was Aiden Celebrini, another right-shot defenceman, at 171st overall.
The organization emphasized adding defensive prospects throughout the draft, particularly right-shot defencemen. Assistant GM Derek Clancey said the organization added players they wanted and found value throughout the draft.
“I think we did extremely well,” Clancey said. “We addressed a lot of areas our team wanted to address, we got some guys in the draft later, that we thought were better players than they were drafted. We’re really excited about the group of players we received today, we look forward to them really helping us in the future.”
Sharks & Myers Trade Rumors
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli previously reported a potential trade between the Canucks and Sharks for Myers. He believes the two teams discussed the trade, and a deal had been on the table for several weeks. On Monday, Seravalli mentioned the deal was a one-for-one, with Kevin Labanc joining the Canucks. Labanc is in the final year of his deal, with a cap hit of $4.725 million.
Servalli mentioned Myers’ $5 million bonus, which is payable in mid-September, isn’t holding up the deal. Meanwhile, Allvin commented on the potential deal.
“If there was a deal out there on the table, why wouldn’t have a deal already been done?… I’ve made it clear that Tyler [Myers] is part of our team going forward.”
Despite Allvin saying Myers will be on the team going forward, there is still a chance the club trades him as they are tight on cap space once again. However, the defenceman is headed into the final season of his contract, and with injuries to players such as Ethan Bear, who may not return to the organization, the veteran is needed more than before. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Myers finishes his contract with the Canucks.
