Five Years of Free Agent Frenzy: Recapping All The Moves The Canucks Have Made On Day 1 Of Free Agency
How the first day of free agency has impacted the Vancouver Canucks from 2019 to 2024.
Photo by Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports - Five Years of Free Agent Frenzy: Recapping All The Moves The Canucks Have Made On Day 1 Of Free AgencyJust like that, another memorable Free Agent Frenzy has come and gone for the Vancouver Canucks. With virtually zero leaks from management, fans were left scratching their heads until a boatload of signings were announced by the Canucks’ social media around 9:30 am in Vancouver. While these signings may have felt like they came from nowhere, was this Free Agent Frenzy the most memorable one of the past five years? Let’s take a look at some past occurrences to figure it out.
July 1st, 2019
Key signings: Jordie Benn, Alex Edler (re-signed), Oscar Fantenberg, Tyler Myers
Key departures: Markus Granlund, Derrick Pouliot, Luke Schenn
The 2019 Free Agent Frenzy will forever be remembered by Canucks fans as the day that brought Tyler Myers to Vancouver. With a $6M AAV over five years, fans were divided over the contract he was given. Now that Myers is back for half the price and nearly half the term, after a season of solid play topped off with a series-defining “save” in the postseason, fans have relaxed their pressure on the “chaos giraffe.”
A key departure from this free agency class was fanbase darling Luke Schenn, who would later return to Vancouver after winning two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. As Quinn Hughes’ first defensive partner, his exit from Vancouver kicked off a long stretch of experimentation that saw Hughes play with a different partner each season (an issue that only really resolved itself this past season with the arrival of Filip Hronek).
There wasn’t a whole lot of excitement about this Free Agent Frenzy, as most of the team’s accomplishments came when former General Manager Jim Benning acquired J.T. Miller during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Signing grade: C
Entertainment grade: C
October 9th, 2020
Key signings: Braden Holtby, Zack MacEwen (re-signed), Tyler Motte (re-signed)
Key departures: Jacob Markström, Chris Tanev
The 2020 installment of Free Agent Frenzy was permeated by an Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade possibility that eventually occurred after the 2020-2021 regular season. However, it’s clear that the chance of this move happening impacted how the team approached the first day of free agency. With the looming Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft and a beautiful Bubble Playoff performance by Thatcher Demko, the Canucks were unable to hold onto goaltender Jacob Markström. He signed a six-year deal with the Calgary Flames and was later joined by Vancouver teammate Chris Tanev, who signed with Calgary for four years.
While more players were added to the roster after the first day passed, the Canucks signed three players on October 9th. Their only signing outside of the organization was the former Vezina and Stanley Cup-winning Braden Holtby, who came at a much cheaper $4.3M AAV compared to Markström’s $6M AAV. Ultimately, things didn’t pan out with Holtby and the Canucks, but the first day of the 2020 Free Agency period certainly proved itself as franchise-changing.
Signing grade: C-, not an F solely because of Tyler Motte
Entertainment grade: B
July 28th, 2021
Key signings: Kyle Burroughs, Phil Di Giuseppe, Jaroslav Halak, Travis Hamonic (re-signed), Brad Hunt, Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn, Brandon Sutter (re-signed)
Key departures: Alex Edler
The 2021 Free Agency period marked a shift in the Canucks’ regime, as former players Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, and Antoine Roussel were shipped out in exchange for Coyotes defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and pesky forward Conor Garland. On the first day of free agency, management made it clear that adding to the blueline was their priority, signing depth players such as Tucker Poolman and Brad Hunt, as well as welcoming back heavy-hitter Luke Schenn. They made a few additions to the Canucks organization as a whole, offering two-way contracts to players such as Sheldon Dries and Phil Di Giuseppe.
There weren’t many players who departed the organization on the first day of the 2021 Free Agency period. Still, the Canucks did have to say goodbye to long-tenured, records-holding (at the time) defenceman Alex Edler. He signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings worth $3.5M per year.
Signing grade: C+
Entertainment grade: C-
July 13th, 2022
Key signings: Collin Delia, Phil Di Giuseppe (re-signed), Dakota Joshua, Andrei Kuzmenko Curtis Lazar, Ilya Mikheyev
Key departures: Jaroslav Halak
July 13th, 2022, marked the start of a free agency period that would bring in some new fan favourites. Nabbing Andrei Kuzmenko from a variety of teams who’d been calling for the goal-scoring forward showed that Vancouver was still a desirable market despite some recent negative years. This day also welcomed Dakota Joshua into the Vancouver market, priming fans for his breakout in 2023. Ilya Mikheyev was brought in with hopes of bringing penalty-killing skills as well as speed on the wings.
What may have been most important about this day, however, was that it was the first free agency period for new General Manager Patrik Allvin. Fans caught a glimpse of his asset management style during the 2022 Trade Deadline, but this free agency period gave the fanbase more insight into what he prioritized most. There weren’t any significant departures from the Canucks on this particular day, though the organization bade backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak goodbye in favour of bringing in Collin Delia. However, much of the team’s work came towards the start of the season, as management locked J.T. Miller up for seven years.
Signing grade: B-
Entertainment grade: C
July 1st, 2023
Key signings: Teddy Blueger, Ian Cole, Matt Irwin, Carson Soucy
Key departures: Collin Delia, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
The first day of the 2023 Free Agency period didn’t provide a whole lot for Canucks fans, as most of their big acquisitions occurred during the 2023-2024 season itself. Stanley Cup champion Teddy Blueger was added to the lineup to provide depth at centre as well as playoff experience, while Ian Cole was brought in as a top-six defenceman. The biggest signing of the day, coming in at 6’5”, was the blueline-bolstering Carson Soucy.
While he didn’t technically leave the Canucks organization on July 1st, former Canuck Oliver Ekman-Larsson did sign a one-year, $2.25M contract with the Florida Panthers on this day. Backup goaltender Collin Delia also left the organization, jetting off to Winnipeg instead.
This free agency period proved somewhat minimal for the Canucks, with the organization adding quality players over a quantitative amount. Key additions like Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm came halfway through the season, making this installment of July 1st a little mild-mannered (which is definitely not a bad thing).
Signing grade: B
Entertainment grade: C
July 1st, 2024
Key signings: Jake DeBrusk, Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood
Key departures: Casey DeSmith, Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov
Canucks fans could have slept an extra 30 minutes on July 1st, as the team didn’t release news of any signings until around 9:30 am. However, like breaking open a dam, the signings seemed to come all at once. Jake DeBrusk was the team’s big signing of the day with a seven-year, $5.5M AAV contract. This was followed closely by two-year contracts for Kiefer Sherwood and Danton Heinen, with the two forwards making $1.5M AAV and $2.25M AAV, respectively. With DeBrusk’s contract being the longest free agent signing this new management team has made, this free agency period could go down as one of the most impactful yet. However, it’s hard to really note how these moves have impacted the team themselves, seeing as none of these additions have played for the team yet.
The first day of the 2024 Free Agency period saw two key mid-season additions depart from Vancouver, with both Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm shipping up to Boston. Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith moved on from Vancouver to Dallas, clearing the way for playoff standout Artūrs Šilovs to start behind Thatcher Demko.
Signing grade: B+
Entertainment grade: B
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