Canucks: Noah Juulsen signs one-year deal with Flyers, reuniting with Rick Tocchet

Juulsen appeared in 35 games this past season before having his season shut down due to injury. A native of Surrey, BC, Juulsen came to Vancouver after the Canucks traded Olli Juolevi to the Florida Panthers in October 2021. Over his Canucks tenure, Juulsen played in 99 games for the AHL Abbotsford Canucks and 109 games for the big club. He also appeared in two playoff games during the Canucks’ 2023-24 playoff run.

A shutdown defenceman, Juulsen was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft at 26th overall. After spending most of his career in the AHL, Juulsen established himself as a seventh defenceman in Vancouver, and found most of his success under Rick Tocchet.

Juulsen now heads to Philadelphia to work with Tocchet again. Tocchet signed a five-year contract with the Flyers earlier in the offseason after coaching the Canucks since taking over for Bruce Boudreau midway through the 2022-23 season.

The Canucks presumably had at least some interest in bringing Juulsen back, as they reportedly declined his request to speak with other teams ahead of free agency. That being said, with young defencemen Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, and Victor Mancini knocking on the door for NHL jobs, Juulsen seemed far more like a nice to have than a need to have for the Canucks. According to Dhaliwal, the Canucks eventually granted Juulsen’s request to speak with other teams, which is likely why Juulsen was the first free agent signing after free agency officially opened at 9 AM Pacific Time.

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