Canucks sign veteran defenseman as Marcus Pettersson replacement

The Vancouver Canucks were busy on the opening day of the NHL free agency period, trading defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the New York Rangers, while also adding defenseman Luke Schenn, who had already spent time with the franchise from 2021 through 2023.

And now, new Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson has signed another defenseman to add to the depth of the blue line and also help offset some of the loss of Pettersson. Vancouver has signed defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a two-year contract worth $5 million. The news was first reported by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman:

“Jamie Oleksiak, 2 x $5M,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Vancouver.”

According to Johnson, Oleksiak’s frame and willingness to play tough will aid them moving forward.

“Jamie is a big body who moves very well on the ice,” said Johnson via NHL.com. “He’s a solid two-way defenceman who isn’t afraid to use his size and strength to his advantage, and we like his reach and athleticism. He competes very hard and has grown into a good leader in the dressing room. Adding him to the mix on the backend will help us in many positive ways.”

Last season, he scored five goals with 10 assists in 78 games played for the Seattle Kraken.

Originally taken in the first round (14th overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 2011 NHL Draft, Oleksiak also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins before returning to Dallas in return for the same draft selection that he was traded for.

He would then be selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and signed to a five-year, $23 million deal. In 758 career NHL games, he’s scored 45 goals with 116 assists.