Canucks sign Jamie Oleksiak to two-year deal
One of the tallest defensemen in the NHL has a new home, but he does not have to move very far.
Jamie Oleksiak is staying in the Pacific Northwest, as following a five-year run as one of the initial members of the Seattle Kraken, the six-foot-seven blueliner has signed a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks that will carry a salary cap hit of $5 million per year.
The #Canucks signed 33 y/o D Jamie Oleksiak to a 2 year $5M cap hit contract Yr 1: $5.5M Salary Yr 2: $3.5M Salary, $1M Signing Bonus 12 team no trade list both years Rep'd by Wade Arnott @wadearnott @TheHockeyAgency puckpedia.com/player/jamie-o…
Oleksiak, who was chosen with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars, has carved out a career of 14 years and counting, and now he will look to serve as a veteran presence on a rebuilding Canucks team.
In his 758 career regular season appearances, Oleksiak has racked up 45 goals and 116 assists for 161 points. While he has three different campaigns with exactly 17 points, he’s surpassed that mark just once, when he compiled 25 points, including a career-high nine goals, in his second year with the Kraken.
New Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson has been busy in his first offseason at the helm. Earlier Wednesday, he signed depth forward Paul Cotter and veteran defenseman Luke Schenn to contracts and sent veteran defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the New York Rangers in exchange for a top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2030 NHL Draft.
Vancouver also added a major veteran presence earlier in the week, acquiring winger Brendan Gallagher from the Montreal Canadiens in a deal to provide the Habs with salary cap relief.
The Canucks have plenty of excess draft capital over the next four years, and while Johnson has some quality young talent in the system in Marco Rossi, Tom Willander, Zeev Buium and Braeden Cootes, among others, the organization has a long road ahead to get back to contending for postseason berths.