The Vancouver Canucks have made a subtle, but significant deal to shore up their bottom-six center depth ahead of the NHL silly season.
On Wednesday, the club announced the terms of an agreement with sturdy defensive pivot Teddy Blueger. The deal is a two-year extension worth $3.6 million ($1.8 million annual average value), according to the team release.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announces that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with forward Teddy Blueger on a two-year contract with a $1.8 AAV. pic.twitter.com/U19inRxiWN
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 26, 2024
Blueger, 29, was a crucial add for the Canucks last summer. The former Pittsburgh Penguins center – who played a depth role for the 2023 Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights — signed in Vancouver on a one-year $1.9 million contract.
The bet was an efficient one for the Canucks. Blueger regularly played third-line minutes during the regular season, finding excellent chemistry on a line with Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland down the stretch and matched his career high in points. His short-handed play was also a huge part of Vancouver’s year-over-year improvement on the penalty kill.
Once it became clear that the club’s prized trade deadline acquisition, Elias Lindholm, was intent on hitting the open market on July 1, the urgency for Canucks management to get a deal done with Blueger turned up over the past 10 days. Internally, the club wanted to be protective of its penalty killing options and center depth, especially given the severely limited options at centre on the open market. The Blueger deal accomplishes all of that neatly and proactively, and at a relatively team-friendly clip.
Extending Blueger may not be the sexiest move ahead of the free-agent frenzy, but given the reasonable cap hit and term of the deal and all the ways that Blueger helps this team play winning hockey, it’s a vital move for Vancouver.
Required reading
• Canucks offseason primer: Cap space, trade chips, UFA and draft targets and more
• Canucks free-agent targets: 6 UFAs who could address Vancouver’s centre depth
(Photo: Bob Frid / USA Today)
