Breaking down Tom Willander’s entry-level contract with the Canucks

Shortly after they named Adam Foote as their next head coach, the Vancouver Canucks signed their top defensive prospects Tom Willander to a three-year, entry-level contract.

While we normally wouldn’t break down an entry-level contract, there was a lot of noise surrounding why the Canucks and Willander were not seeing eye-to-eye.

There were reports indicating that Willander not immediately signing with the Canucks was a personal decision. Then GM Patrik Allvin shared at the end of season media availability that Willander intended to go back to school. Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the two sides were just $200,000 apart, with schedule-A performance bonuses being a main issue.

Willander then spoke his truth with Elite Prospects Cam Robinson, after he didn’t sign after the Boston University Terriers lost the NCAA National Championship and went to Sweden to try out for the IIHF World Championships:

…He says he never asked for the Canucks to burn the first year of his entry-level deal or promise NHL playing time immediately.

“No. We didn’t ask for anything like that” Willander said, speaking via phone Friday afternoon.

And at the same time, Willander was honoring one of the Canucks requests, it’s why he didn’t join the national team until recently as contract negotiations dragged on with Vancouver.

“They asked us earlier in the season. The Canucks didn’t want us to play there,” Willander said.  “But then as time moved on, it became viable so we decided ‘okay, it could be fun to play games with really good players.’”

And what if Vancouver called today with a sufficient offer. Would he hop on a plane to Abbotsford to join their AHL playoff run, which may or may not end tonight in a first-round series.

“I haven’t even thought about it hypothetically because it’s not close to being a done deal.” Willander said.

But now that the deal is signed, let’s take a look at those contract details that got Willander to sign with the Canucks:

Contract: Three years, $2.85 million, $950K cap hit, $1.75 million average annual value

Year 1 (2025-2026) – Base salary $855,000, signing bonus $95,000, performance bonus $500,000

Year 2 (2026-2027) – Base salary $855,000, signing bonus $95,000, performance bonus $900,000

Year 3 (2027-2028) – Base salary $855,000, signing bonus $95,000, performance bonus $1,000,000

It appears the Canucks managed to meet Willander’s asking price regarding the bonuses he wanted. As a former 11th overall pick, Willander was asking for similar compensation to others who were drafted in the same position (Conor Geekie and Sam Dickinson).

Geekie is earning an $855,000 base salary each season, with performance bonuses that increase over the three years. While Dickinson earns a slightly higher $877,000 base salary each year, he also receives increased performance bonuses throughout the contract.

But it won’t be easy for a young defenceman like Willander to hit these performance bonuses. A player can hit his full bonuses each season if he hits a maximum of four of these categories:

– 10 goals

– 25 assists

– 40 points

– Top four in Time on Ice among defencemen (in total and/or per game) on team (minimum 42 games)

– Top three in +/- among defencemen on the team (minimum 42 games)

– 0.49 points per game (minimum 42 games)

– Top two among defencemen on the team in blocked shots

– End-of-Season All-Rookie Team

– All-Star Selection

– All-Star MVP

Dhaliwal shared via Twitter/X a conversation with Willander’s agent, Todd Diamond, regarding what the stalemate between the two sides was: