The Vancouver Canucks made a couple of signings to start their day in free agency, signing defenseman Ian Cole to a one-year, $3 million contract and forward Teddy Blueger to a one-year, $1.9 million contract. In addition, they also signed center Tristen Nielsen to his one-year entry-level contract with an $870,000 cap hit.
Cole, 34, was an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of his one-year, $3 million contract that he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He had a solid season with 3 goals, 14 assists, and 17 points in 78 regular season games, along with a goal, two assists, and three points in six playoff games. He helped stabilize a Lightning blueline that needed someone to help fill out shutdown minutes with Ryan McDonagh being dealt in the 2022 offseason.
Blueger, 28, was an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of his two-year contract with a $2.2 million cap hit that he originally signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 63 regular season games with both the Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights, with 4 goals, 12 assists, and 16 points on the year. He also had a goal and an assist for two points in six playoff games with the Golden Knights as a part of their Stanley Cup-winning team.
Nielsen was an undrafted free agent that had spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks on an AHL contract after spending six seasons in the WHL, and is signing his entry-level contract for his first NHL deal. He had 14 goals, 27 assists, and 41 points in 64 regular season games in Abbotsford, along with two goals, two assists, and four points in six playoff games.
The Canucks have had a quiet offseason until today, with their buyout of Oliver Ekman-Larsson being their only significant move before then. They are currently projected to be about $1.7 million above the salary cap next season after also signing Carson Soucy, with only Vitali Kravtsov as a free agent.
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