Canucks re-sign three key players, putting trust in current core

What happened: The Vancouver Canucks are keeping the band together. Earlier this week, the club locked up three key players with multi-year contracts, re-signing forwards Brock Boeser and Conor Garland, and goaltender Thatcher Demko. 

The deal no one saw coming: The most shocking and urgent of the deals was the one for Boeser, a fan favourite since he was drafted by the Canucks in 2015. Despite being a free agent, with as many as six other teams interested in signing him, Boeser and the Canucks were able to get a deal done on Canada Day. 

It was widely expected that Boeser and the Canucks would part ways this summer after the club couldn’t get a good offer for him at the trade deadline, and Boeser himself saying it was unlikely that he’d return. 

It’s very rare for a player to reach free agency only to re-sign with their previous club, but a last-minute phone call from the Canucks with a better offer gave Boeser the opportunity to stay. Now, he’s signed on to a seven-year contract that could see the 28-year-old play his entire career in blue and green. 

• “I had other guys in my ear, like [Conor Garland] and [Thatcher Demko], all those guys kind of pushing my buttons to come back. It obviously plays a big part to have such good friends and have belief within the guys in the room,” Boeser said, according to Daily Hive.

It’s a great outcome for Boeser (“The Flow,” as he’s affectionately known), his long-time teammates, and his many fans in the city. The big unknown is how the deal will look for the club in four or five years, but given their lack of scoring and thirst to win now, it’s a gamble worth taking. 

Crease confusion: Thatcher Demko is among Boeser’s good friends and teammates who were relieved to see him re-sign in Vancouver. Demko, who had one season left on his current contract, also signed a new contract on July 1, albeit only a three-year deal. 

However, it definitely feels like there’s a shoe (or skate in this case) still to drop. 

Demko is an above-average goalie in the NHL, and one of the best in the league when he’s on his game. Unfortunately, he’s also been very injury-prone, with serious injuries taking him out for big chunks of the past three seasons. 

• Last year, Canucks backup Kevin Lankinen was excellent filling in for the injured Demko, and was rewarded with a five-year contract of his own, at about half the price of Demko’s new deal. 

With Calder Cup MVP Arturs Silovs also patiently waiting in the Zamboni tunnel, the Canucks’ crease is looking crowded, and Demko would be tantalizing trade bait for a team in need of a great goalie to put them over the top (looking at you, Edmonton). 

The sizable return commanded by a Demko trade would also be a good way for the Canucks to acquire a top-six centre, something they’re desperately lacking at the moment. 

Last but not least: The most straightforward of the three big signings was getting Conor Garland on a new six-year deal. The diminutive forward has been a consistent offensive contributor for the Canucks, and plays with an intensity and drive that’s made him beloved by teammates, management, and fans alike. 

Keeping the 29-year-old American over the long term is a positive legacy of the controversial 2021 trade that brought him and the aging and highly-paid defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Vancouver. 

What it means: Overall, the signings indicate that management still believes in its current core players. That’s something that was seriously in doubt after the disastrous season they just endured, which included the forced trade of star forward JT Miller due to personality conflicts and head coach Rick Tochett’s decision to walk away from the club. 

However, by re-signing Boeser and Garland long term, the Canucks have committed to them as key cultural carriers and offensive contributors for what they hope will be a contending team over the next couple of years.