The Vancouver Canucks have extended Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract, carrying an average annual value of $1.8 million. Spending the majority of the 2023-24 season as a center, he scored six goals and 28 points in 68 games. He also tallied two assists in 13 playoff games.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 season, Blueger tested free agency and found a consistent role in the Canucks’ bottom-six alongside Dakota Joshua and Connor Garland. He won 53.1% of his faceoffs and led the penalty kill unit for the majority of the season. He finished with two shorthanded goals and is likely to lead the primary unit next season if Elias Lindholm does not re-sign in Vancouver.
Now, general manager Patrik Allvin will transition his focus to Joshua as he, too, is a pending free agent. Joshua, Blueger, and Garland finished the season as one of the best defensive forward lines in hockey this past season with a 58.4 expected goal percentage, the eighth-best of any line combination with over 350 minutes together.
The Canucks took a significant step as a team this season. They finished with 50 wins, winning the Pacific Division. Additionally, they pushed the eventual Stanley Cup runners-up, the Edmonton Oilers, to seven games in Round 2. With Lindholm, Joshua, and other members of the core, it will be interesting to see how different the roster looks to begin the 2024-25 season.
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