Vancouver Canucks’ 3 Best Contracts for 2026-27

Karlsson’s contract expires at the end of the 2027-28 season. By then, as an unrestricted free agent, he will surely be in for a pay raise, whether this is from the Canucks or another team looking to shore up their forward corps.

Max Sasson – 2 x $1 Million

Max Sasson is in a similar boat as Karlsson, as he is a bit of an unsung hero for the Canucks. Both players are signed until the end of 2027-28. He’s not quite as productive as Karlsson, but he’s paid even less money.

Also similar to Karlsson, Sasson has familiarity with new Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra from their time together in Abbotsford. He was a productive scorer for the AHL team, and that translated in his time in the NHL.

He may be a bottom-sixer, but Sasson is the kind of player who does a bunch of things well. He has a solid scoring touch, potting 13 goals in 66 games. He also has elite speed, as his max speed is in the 97th percentile of all forwards according to NHL EDGE stats.

Sasson is probably going to occupy a third or fourth line role, and he likely won’t be getting sent down to the AHL again. He’s no longer waiver-exempt and is a player that plenty of teams would want, especially considering he represented the USA at the IIHF World Championship. He also now has some chemistry with the newly signed Paul Cotter, whom he played alongside in the Worlds.

Filip Hronek – 6 x $7.25 Million

Filip Hronek makes quite a bit more money than the other two players featured, but with the current market price explosion for defencemen, his deal is looking a lot better as the days go on. Jacob Trouba was recently given a deal with the Sharks with a cap hit of $8.25 million, and considering he hasn’t been as productive as Hronek since he left the Winnipeg Jets, Hronek looks to be a bargain.

Hronek finished second on the Canucks in points last season with 49, only two behind team leader Elias Pettersson. This is a decently impressive mark for a defenceman on a team that scored the second-fewest total goals, only ahead of the division rival Calgary Flames. He was also one of only three players to suit up in every contest for the team, alongside Drew O’Connor and Marcus Pettersson, the latter of whom was traded to the New York Rangers.

While there has been chatter about Hronek being moved, he has a no-move clause for years 2-4 of the contract, which some would say devalues the deal. Even if the Canucks front office could get something for him in a trade, he may be a valuable voice to keep around in the locker room.

It was reported that following the departure of Quinn Hughes, Hronek took on a larger leadership role. He also could be valuable in the development of breakout candidate Zeev Buium, as he previously helped unlock Hughes, who became a perennial Norris Trophy candidate once paired with Hronek. Buium will very likely be paired with Hronek to open the season, and having that steady presence on his right side could help Buium’s production explode.

Room For Other Good Deals

As mentioned at the top, it’s hard to determine what constitutes a good contract on a team that isn’t in a winning window. There are few long-term deals on the squad, and many of those seem to be overpayments, though with the rising cap they could quickly turn into steals with solid performance.

Either way, the Karlsson, Sasson, and Hronek deals will be valuable for the Canucks in 2026-27, as they are productive players getting less than they would on the open market.