The Vancouver Canucks had a busy start to free agency today. The team signed four players to contracts within an hour of opening as they build their roster up for next season.
The Canucks’ biggest move was the maximum length contract given to winger Jake DeBrusk. The 27-year-old got a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $5.5 million.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Jake DeBrusk on a 7-year contract with a $5.5M AAV.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 1, 2024
DeBrusk has scored more than 25-goals in three different seasons and finished with 19-goals two other times. He fits the team’s need for a scoring top-six winger.
“Jake will be a great addition to our top six and gives us another offensive option up front,” said general manager Patrik Allvin in a press release. “He is a smart two-way player who plays with pace. He isn’t afraid to go to the tough areas of the ice and uses his strong motor and determination to drive play.”
DeBrusk will get a great opportunity to play in the team’s top-six as well as on the special teams.
While the DeBrusk deal is the largest of the day for the team, he’s not the only player they added, or even the only winger. The Canucks also signed wingers Kiefer Sherwood and Danton Heinen, as well as defenceman Derek Forbort.
Sherwood played for the Nashville Predators last season and provides an energetic, physical presence in the bottom-six. He scored a career-high 10 goals and 27 points in 68 games last season.
Heinen is a local product as he was born in Langley. The 6-foot-2 winger scored 17 goals and had 36 points in 74 games last season with the Boston Bruins. He has scored double-digit goals four times in his career so far and has turned into a dependable penalty killer.
The Canucks also signed another former Bruins player in Forbort. The 32-year-old is a physical defensive defenceman who will help replace some of the toughness the Canucks lost since Nikita Zadorov left.
All of these signings will help the Canucks build a roster that they hope can take another step forward in next year’s playoffs. There could still be more signings to come as they look to round out their roster.