The Vancouver Canucks dealt with one of their outstanding RFAs, as Nikolay Goldobin signed a one-year deal on Wednesday.
“Nikolay is a gifted offensive player who has shown good chemistry with some of our other younger players,” Canucks GM Jim Benning said. “He has taken steps to round out his game and we’re excited to see continued improvement from him this season.”
Vancouver Canucks Sign Nikolay Goldobin
OFFICIAL: #Canucks re-sign @NG078 to a one-year contract. https://t.co/ygXmq5qcol
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 4, 2019
The 23-year-old winger started last season well, getting 23 points in his first 42 games. He tapered off in the second half with just four more points in 21 games, lining up with either Elias Pettersson or Bo Horvat. Last year was his first full season in the NHL, splitting 2017-18 between the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets and Vancouver.
Goldobin has been a source of contention in his brief tenure with the Canucks. Since arriving in a trade for Jannik Hansen in 2017, he has been battling with coach Travis Green over his perceived defensive weaknesses or lack of effort. Goldobin was a regular scratch by the end of the year, eventually dressing in just 63 games.
What This Means For The Future
The signing leaves the Canucks with 25 NHL contracts, including two new veteran wingers in J.T. Miller and Micheal Ferland. Those signings mean this is a make-or-break year for Goldobin with the Canucks. This will be his fourth year with the team and has yet to establish himself as a top-six forward.
The one-way deal is worth $900,000, giving him only a slight raise but guaranteeing his income for the year. It will also give him arbitration rights in 2020 when it expires.
Vancouver has slightly above $4 million in cap space remaining with just Brock Boeser left to sign. With Antoine Roussel going onto the injured reserve list at the start of the year, there should be room for him. But until a deal is struck, nothing is certain.
