It’s that time of year when NHL GM’s are getting their ducks in a row for the next season, and that includes signing those last few restricted free agents. Canuck’s GM Mike Gillis has been busy the last couple of days, resigning three of his own RFA’s while zeroing in on another. Those players in question are Dale Weise, Jordan Schroeder and Yann Sauve, while Chris Tanev remains unsigned.
The 24 year old Weise, or the “Dutch Gretzky” as he became known during the lockout for his incredible dominance of Holland’s Eredivisie, was had for only $750k on a one year deal. The young grinder is slowly developing into the prototypical fourth liner and this is a quality depth signing for the Canucks. The winger is also looking forward to playing for John Tortorella again, who coached him previously while they were both in New York.
Schroeder is a 2009 first round pick of the Canucks who has yet to stick with the big club. Terms of the deal were not released, but it’s expected to be a one year deal near the NHL minimum. Schroeder has incredible speed and offensive skills, but is undersized and may not be able to play outside of the Canuck’s top six. Sitting behind Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, among others, on the Vancouver center depth chart has stagnated Schroeder’s development. That being said, this is yet another quality move by the Canucks, who are looking to hold on to as much young talent as possible. Should either Sedin or Kesler fall to injury (as is often the case with Kesler), Schroeder is a player capable of stepping up and filling that offensive hole.
Defensemen Sauve, a second round pick in 2008, only has five games of NHL experience and isn’t expected to be a regular top six guy in the big leagues. He’s likely to play with the Utica Comets in the AHL next season and provide organizational depth.
In the end though all these moves amount to nothing more than paperwork as none are likely to make a big impact on the Canucks next season. However, 23 year old defenseman Tanev remaining unsigned is a cause for concern. Though people outside of Vancouver pay little notice to Tanev, he’s slowly become one of the most reliable defensemen in the organization. The undrafted free agent signing in 2010 has a calm demeanor on the ice, makes a good first pass and has outstanding positioning in the defensive zone. In fact, I would put him only behind Dan Hamhuis on the Canucks in terms of defensive ability. Very rarely can you feel safe with a 23 year old on the ice in a key situation, but with Tanev you can. This is why it’s so crucial for Gillis to get on his horse and sign him, he’s an important part of the present D-core, and a critical part of the team’s future.
Ultimately, the deal should get done. The Canucks have about $5 million in cap space for the upcoming season, and Tanev’s contract demands seem unlikely to approach that number. With the team putting an onus on giving the younger players a chance to compete for a spot in training camp, the roster for next season should be pretty much set after Tanev gets signed.
Thanks for reading, as feel free to follow me on twitter @CanuckPuckHead. Give the rest of the hockey department a follow while you’re at it – @LastWordBigMick, @TheHockeyMitch, @lastwordBKerr, and @LastWordOnNHL, and follow the site @lastwordonsport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Photo Credit Loxy!!, Wiki Commons, CC
