There’s been lots of chatter about the Vancouver Canucks‘ long list of free agents the past few weeks.
There hasn’t been much said about Ian Cole though, until today.
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal took to social media with a seemingly cryptic post about the 35-year-old defenceman.
“Would not surprise me if the Canucks check in with Ian Cole again,” he said.
Cole can become an unrestricted free agent on Monday.
Would not surprise me if the #Canucks check in with D Ian Cole again.
A veteran guy they know and they need help on the left side.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 29, 2024
The Canucks likely need to add one or two defencemen in free agency. Nikita Zadorov won’t be back, GM Patrik Allvin revealed on Friday. The Canucks are believed to be interested in Chris Tanev, though the Toronto Maple Leafs got a head start in negotiations by acquiring his rights in a trade today.
Cole had a productive regular season with the Canucks, finishing fourth among Vancouver defencemen in average ice time (18:41) and first in shorthanded minutes per game (2:39). He’s not a flashy player, but brought stability to Vancouver’s back end.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan product drew the ire of fans in the playoffs though, after he struggled mightily in Vancouver’s second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Was he playing through an injury or was he just too old and slow to keep up to the fast pace of playoff hockey? A left shot, Cole also played much of the season on his off-side, following the acquisition of Zadorov.
What’s not in question is Cole’s leadership and experience. He has played 826 regular season games during his NHL career and won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.