The Vancouver Canucks won the Pacific Division in 2023-24 in rather surprising fashion. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they proved their division win was not a fluke. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round as they came within a game of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. They certainly had a lot to feel good about heading into NHL Free Agency.
Once the open market opened, the Canucks didn’t splash the cash too much. They made one modest signing in the form of winger Jake DeBrusk. Outside of that, they focused on adding a bit of depth to their lineup. It’s an interesting strategy and one that will certainly be worth seeing how it pays off for Vancouver this upcoming year.
With NHL Free Agency rather thin, it’s likely the Canucks are done exploring the open market. Their current haul of signings appears to be the only signings they will make this year. Let’s hand out NHL Free Agency grades for the Vancouver Canucks before training camp gets underway.
Jake DeBrusk
Contract: Seven years, $38.5 million ($5.5 million AAV)
The Canucks had one major need to address in NHL Free Agency. They had to bring in a winger to play alongside franchise center Elias Pettersson. Pettersson struggled mightily in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And while he certainly deserves blame, he was not helped out by the lack of talent on his line.
DeBrusk will fill in nicely next to Pettersson on the second line. The former Boston Bruins star is not the most consistent player, and that’s a concern. Additionally, the seven-year term is tough to swallow. That said, he comes in with a rather fair cap hit of $5.5 million per season. If he can continue putting up 40-50 points a season, the Canucks can definitely live with this.
GRADE: B+
Danton Heinen
Contract: Two years, $4.5 million ($2.25 million AAV)
It’s always nice to see players join their hometown team. Heinen is a Vancouver native who didn’t join an NHL team until after the season began last year. That said, he is a very solid player. He isn’t necessarily a star, but he is coming off his best season since 2017-18. Heinen scored 17 goals and 36 points with the Bruins this past season. The veteran winger may allow Pius Suter to move back to center, which is big. And he improves Vancouver’s penalty kill. This is a solid signing for the Canucks in NHL Free Agency.
GRADE: B+
Vincent Desharnais
Contract: Two years, $4 million ($2 million AAV)
This is a very intriguing signing for the Canucks. Vincent Desharnais has played a mostly bottom-pairing role for the Edmonton Oilers over the last two seasons. He played his first full season in the NHL at 28 years old in 2023-24. And he was one of the better defensive defensemen in the league. His 6.8 defensive goals above replacement ranked 15th in the entire NHL. It was also the best mark recorded by any Oilers defender this year.
The Canucks lost Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov in NHL Free Agency this summer. Desharnais won’t completely replace either player. However, he brings a lot of upside as a shutdown defenseman on the bottom pairing. He won’t receive many headlines, but Desharnais could be one of Vancouver’s best signings this summer.
GRADE: A
Derek Forbort
Contract: One year, $1.5 million
Derek Forbort is the third former Bruin to join Vancouver in NHL Free Agency. And he should partner with Desharnais on a new-look bottom pairing for the Canucks this upcoming season. Forbort is a very physical player who will fit right in with the style the Canucks want to play. He is another defensive specialist who should give opponents fits. This is a very good signing for Vancouver, especially at this cap hit and term.
