Canucks sign Max Sasson to one-year contract extension

Sasson made his NHL debut with the Canucks this past season, putting up seven points in 29 games as a bottom-six forward. He primarily spent the year in the AHL, registering 13 goals and 32 points in 41 games with Abbotsford. He helped the club win its first Calder Cup championship earlier this month, registering 14 points in 24 games before beating the Chicago Wolves.

Sasson is a 6-foot-1 forward who has experience at both center and the wing. Undrafted, Sasson was one of the most coveted NCAA free agents after finishing his second year at Western Michigan in 2023. He didn’t win any awards, but with 42 points in 38 games as a sophomore, Sasson showed he was pro-ready.

According to PuckPedia, the Canucks have $7.031 million in projected cap space this year. Brock Boeser and Pius Suter are both set to become UFAs up front, with Noah Juulsen being the lone NHL roster defenseman to need a new deal.

Other UFAs in the system include minor league forwards Phillip Di Giuseppe and Nathan Smith and defenders Guillaume Brisebois, Christian Wolanin and Akito Hirose. Jett Woo, Cole McWard, Christian Felton, Aatu Raty, Arshdeep Bains, Ty Glover and Tristen Nielsen are all pending UFAs.

With 90 points, the Canucks finished two spots out of a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference this year.