In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, Jake DeBrusk signs with the organization. Additionally, the Canucks added Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood.
Canucks Sign DeBrusk
The Canucks biggest free-agent move came in the form of signing DeBrusk. The 27-year-old signed a seven-year deal with an annual average value of $5.5 million.
“Jake will be a great addition to our top six and gives us another offensive option up front,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “He is a smart two-way player who plays with pace. He isn’t afraid to go to the tough areas of the ice and uses his strong motor and determination to drive play.”
DeBrusk brings speed and offensive ability to the Canucks top-six. The organization was in the market for a top-six winger to play with Elias Pettersson and added the player they hope to do the job. DeBrusk spent seven seasons with the Boston Bruins, scoring 138 goals and posting 266 points in 465 games.
Other targets included Jake Guentzel and Sam Reinhart, who signed much more expensive contracts. The term on DeBrusk’s contract could be the only downside as the forward will be in his mid-30s. However, he has shown he can score 25 goals, reaching the feat three times in his career. His contract will be a steal if he can find consistency in his game. Additionally, signing DeBrusk at an AAV of $5.5 million instead of signing either Guentzel or Reinhart in the $8.5-9 million range allowed them to add depth pieces.
Heinen and Sherwood Add to Forward Unit
The two depth players the Canucks signed up front were Heinen and Sherwood. Heinen signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.25 million. Heinen is 28 years old and a versatile addition to the club as he can play in the top six or bottom six.
“Danton’s skill set will fit in nicely with the way we want to play hockey,” said Allvin. “His speed and ability to kill penalties will be a big boost for our group. We also feel he can contribute offensively, move up and down the lineup from time to time, and use his body and size to his advantage.”
Related: Canucks Add 5 New Prospects in the 2024 Entry Draft
Similar to DeBrusk, Heinen brings speed to the forward group. The Canucks identified that they needed speed up front and added it through the two former Bruins. Heinen has played 387 regular season games, scoring 87 goals and posting 212 points. He will likely play in the top six to start the season in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Sherwood signed for two years with an AAV of $1.5 million. He played against the Canucks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We saw first hand in the playoffs how tough Kiefer is to play against,” Allvin said. “We like his quickness, tenacity, and the way he competes in all situations. Adding another physical player to the mix will work well with the way our forward group is currently constructed.”
Lindholm & Zadorov Sign with Bruins
The Canucks re-signed all but three of their unrestricted free agents, as two of those three UFAs signed with the Bruins. Elias Lindholm signed a seven-year deal with an AAV of $7.75 million with Boston. The club has held interest in the centre for some time as they needed help up the middle since the departure of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Along with the lack of top-end talent at centre in free agency, the two sides made the perfect match. The Canucks attempted to negotiate a contract extension with Lindholm early in their offseason, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement.
Meanwhile, Nikita Zadorov signed a six-year deal with an AAV of $5 million with the Bruins. The Canucks and Zadorov negotiated until the day of the 2024 NHL Draft when Allvin declared talks between the two sides were over. The Canucks acquired both players during the regular season from the Calgary Flames in two separate trades. Lindholm and Zadorov played their best hockey for the club in the postseason.
Forbort and Desharnais Bring Size to Blue Line
The Canucks set out to add more size to their blue line after the departure of Zadorov and did so by signing both Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais. Forbort is the third player joining the Canucks this offseason after spending last season with the Bruins. He stands at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds and signed a one-year deal with an AAV of $1.5 million. He will likely play on the bottom d-pairing for the club, along with Vincent Desharnais. Desharnais signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $2 million—the 28-year-old stands at 6-foot-7 and 226 pounds.
“We were really impressed by the strides Vincent made this year at the NHL level,” Allvin said. “Our team got to see firsthand how big and strong he is on the ice during our playoff series against Edmonton. The coaching staff are really looking forward to working with him this year, to help him grow and improve as a hockey player.”
The Canucks have surrounded Quinn Hughes with size on the blue line. Filip Hronek comes in at 6 feet, but along with Forbort and Desharnais, Tyler Myers stands at 6-foot-8 and 229 pounds, while Carson Soucy stands at 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds. However, the Canucks could use an additional puck-moving defenceman and may still make a move to add one in the offseason.
