There are a lot of former Vancouver Canucks players still available in free agency. While the market opened a week ago, these seven players who once played for the Canucks are still looking for a new contract.
The Canucks have already done much of their summer shopping so it’s unlikely they’ll be in the market for any of these players.
Here are seven players who still need a new contract and had stints with the Canucks at some point.
1. Tanner Pearson
- Age: 31
- Position: LW
- Last season with Canucks: 2022-23
At one point, Tanner Pearson was a solid middle-six winger for the Canucks. He was eventually traded to the Montreal Canadiens, where he scored 13 points in 54 games last season.
Pearson is still just 31 years old but has struggled with injuries in recent years. He’s a former Stanley Cup champion and could add a positive veteran presence to a team in need of one.
2. Travis Dermott
- Age: 27
- Position: D
- Last season with Canucks: 2022-23
Travis Dermott is a left-handed defenceman with more than 300 NHL career games played. He played 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season, his first since leaving the Canucks.
The 27-year-old is still looking for a new contract this summer and could be a good option for a team that needs a puck-mover.
3. Nic Petan
- Age: 29
- Position: C
- Last season with Canucks: 2021-22
Nic Petan was drafted in 2013 and has bounced around the hockey world since then, including a stop with the Canucks. He played just 18 games at the highest level with the franchise but was one of Abbotsford’s best players during the 2021-22 season.
The BC-born forward has always been supremely skilled and produced at the AHL level. Even if he can’t find another NHL contract this summer, he will definitely be a good addition to someone’s minor league team.
4. Jayson Megna
- Age: 34
- Position: RW
- Last season with Canucks: 2017-18
Jayson Megna played for some bad Canucks teams during the mid-2010s and has since represented the Colorado Avalanche, where he won a Stanley Cup, and the Boston Bruins. He’s played more than 200 NHL games and is now in need of another contract.
His last deal was with the Bruins for $775,000, and a new potential contract would likely look similar.
5. Sam Gagner
- Age: 34
- Position: C
- Last season with Canucks: 2018-19
While Sam Gagner will always be associated with the Edmonton Oilers, as he’s spent most of his career with the team, he did have a brief stint with the Canucks. He played for the Canucks in parts of two seasons.
The veteran Gagner helped the Oilers come within a game of winning the Stanley Cup, although he didn’t appear in any playoff games. He had 10 points in 28 games last year, proving he can still play.
6. Brad Hunt
- Age: 35
- Position: D
- Last season with Canucks: 2021-22
Brad Hunt is still looking for a new contract. The undersized defenceman played for the Canucks during the 2021-22 NHL season and finished with 17 points in 50 games. The BC-born Hunt is nearing the end of his career. He last played in the NHL for the Avalanche during the 2022-23 season.
7. Wyatt Kalynuk
- Age: 27
- Position: D
- Last season with Canucks: 2022-23
If you don’t know Wyatt Kalynuk, you’re excused. The defenceman was signed by the Canucks in the summer of 2022 but never cracked the NHL roster. He then signed a deal with the St. Louis Blues last summer and once again spent the whole year in the AHL.
Kalynuk has 26 NHL games under his belt, all with the Chicago Blackhawks, and is still looking for a team to give him a chance next season.