Unrestricted free agents are a pretty easy concept to handle: you sign them or you don’t. Make them an offer and they agree or not. Simple. The 2021 Canucks restricted free agents, on the other hand, are a whole bunch more complicated. The RFAs can have arbitration rights or not. They can be high draft picks or young signings the team has been promoting. Their future could be entirely to come with zero NHL experience or a few seasons under their belts. It’s complicated enough, in fact, that dividing them by position like we did with the unrestricted free agents doesn’t really work here.
Multiple thanks to the invaluable CapFriendly for the information they compile. Possibly the most-used site for Vancouver Canucks fans in the off-season after Tankathon. Big thanks to PuckPedia for agent information, too.
Meet the 2021 Canucks Restricted Free Agents
The Elephant Enclosure
*Cracks Knuckles*
Arguably, the biggest free-agent news for Vancouver over the past year is Elias Pettersson switching agents. It’s not just that he did so in a contract year – generally a grim portent for teams – but that he joined Creative Artists’ sports arm. More specifically, he’s now represented by Pat Brisson, who also represents Quinn Hughes. At least it’s not J.P. Barry, who negotiated the deals for both Loui Eriksson and Tyler Myers. On the other hand, they might have an in-house competition for “Worst Canucks Deal” and Brisson’s WAY behind.
But let’s be a bit more positive here. It’s the off-season, anything’s possible, all platitudes are correct, etc. There is a slightly oblique bonus to the Canucks’ most important skaters negotiating together. That lies in Hughes being a category 10.2(c) free agent. That is to say, he not only doesn’t have arbitration rights but can’t receive an offer sheet from other teams, either. The only weapon they have is withholding services, so the team can try “crunching” players with this status. That’s where you get star players not signing deals until mid-September with a high chance of bad feelings emerging on both sides. The team can save some money, sure, but might lose the player the instant true free agency hits.
With Petersson and Hughes negotiating through the same agent, that’s not going to happen.
What Should Happen
So, with a walkout put aside, what might actually happen? There are several directions this can go, but most likely is some kind of bridge deal for both players. It was a weird year, but we’re looking to be at the far side of it. There’s going to be a financial recovery period for most owners, but more than that there is a flat cap to negotiate through. Promising “incremental” increases until the CBA expires in 2026 means little. Realistically, space isn’t going to be there for a big raise over what they’ll be getting now.
If the Canucks can get a deal that reaches that far, it would eat one year of Pettersson’s unrestricted free agency and go right to Hughes’. That’s likely the players’ target. For general manager Jim Benning, the next deal would ideally be much longer-term to pass right by those free-agency years. That would mean a higher number for both players, and it’s tough to see that fitting into next year’s salary cap.
Hughes, Pettersson, and Benning know this, of course. The next deal is more likely a short one, where the end of the flat cap is within sight and everyone can make a better guess what the next CBA will look like. It might not be pleasant to re-negotiate with Pettersson just as he hits free agency, but that’s the risk the team will have to take. Neither Pettersson nor Hughes had particularly great seasons this year, but realistically? That’s not going to affect their values much. Everyone knows who they are. We expect three-year deals for them, likely close to $12-12.5 million combined.
The Monkey Cage
“Not my circus, not my monkey” – Polish proverb
Each of these 2021 Canucks restricted free agents was drafted by the team, so assets were used to bring them into the fold. Not every player drafted makes the NHL, of course, but teams have to judge whether it’s just a matter of time or will never happen. It’s unlikely any of these guys are protected in the Seattle expansion draft – maybe Kole Lind – but little else is very attractive. Small blessings?
Over Here
Why didn’t anyone take Kole Lind? Well, his seven-game tryout with the Canucks didn’t prove that they should have. Still, it is a recurring theme that Lind moves up a level, has a difficult time producing for one year, then finds his game. Can that happen at the NHL level? Maybe. He’s got plenty of skill, and the Canucks need to fill their bottom-six with cheap potential. He’s a world-class agitator, too. Definitely getting a deal if he survives expansion.
Olli Juolevi‘s just a straight-up hard-luck story. His selection was understandable, but he’ll always be remembered for the players taken after him. Stacked injuries haven’t affected how he thinks the game – still his strong suit – but his mobility hasn’t yet recovered to even the modest level it was at when he was drafted. Another guaranteed offer to keep him in the system.
A recurring theme of Jim Benning’s was the coming of Guillaume Brisbois. Whelp, he’s 23 now, and while he showed reasonably well in the AHL this year’s a big one for him. At the low end, he’s following Ashton Sautner‘s career. At best, Troy Stecher‘s with fewer points. He’s calm, cool, and collected, but is he good enough? Will almost certainly get a new deal.
Over There
Every time you see Lukas Jasek play, you think “yeah, maybe…” And he might, too. A late-round pick with zero pressure, he’s a fast, offensively-minded winger who can find teammates. His best work might come on a fourth line geared toward outscoring opponents rather than big-body types. Zero-risk, but not much reward, either. Unlikely to make the NHL, but fine in Abbotsford.
Petrus Palmu is built like a fireplug and loves keeping the puck. Has the skill you need to survive as a small player and has done well in Europe. The Canucks might want him in the system, but given past conflicts between the team and him, that might not happen. If they can bury the past, he could come back. If not, the team has to move him. He’ll get an offer in any case.
The Dog Park Next Door
Friendly contracts on these low-risk 2021 Canucks restricted free agents. Not the most exciting beasts in the zoo, but fun to hang with. None were drafted by the team – or any other team, for that matter – so losing them doesn’t even bring the criticism of a wasted draft pick. Signed for a reason, though, whether they pan out or not.
There are few things that fans in Vancouver agree on, but signing Jayce Hawryluk was one. He did reasonably well on a bottom-six that was regularly shredded and could justify being part of a revamped squad. He has some versatility, playing wing or centre, but getting a new deal might come down to the expansion draft. He’s not a target, but if Zack MacEwen or Kole Lind are selected there may be room for him.
Marc Michaelis was a victim of COVID-19 last season, and not just because he caught it. The 25-year old should not have had his first professional games being in the NHL. He was clearly overmatched in his 15-game trial. It’s a bit unfair to evaluate his season from that, but if he gets re-signed it will be with the expectation he’s spending time in Abbotsford.
Pretty much the definition of slow, steady growth, Mitch Eliot is going to peak at “reliable guy”. Whether that’s at the AHL or NHL level isn’t clear, but more likely the former. If the Canucks bring defenders in, he could have trouble signing a new deal with them.
Oh, Yeah…
We could get lazy here and cut-and-paste Jake Kielly’s entry from last time. It was a bit of a cheat to include him then, as he’s a restricted free agent rather than an unrestricted one. So sure, let’s do that:
With Jake Kielly the only goalie either restricted or unrestricted in the system, it’s not an area of pressing concern. He got into seven games with Utica, and may well follow them to Abbotsford. Kielly’s restricted with arbitration rights, so whether he comes back could come down to what he asks for. The 25-year old is unlikely to become a late bloomer and make an impact in the NHL.
Conclusion
The biggest limit for most of these players is the 50-contract-per-team one. The team will – hopefully – be able to get some talent in return for a protected expansion draft slot. That will put the squeeze on who stays and who goes. It doesn’t say much for the older talent the Canucks have gathered, but it’s a benefit now.
Main Photo
