The Vancouver Canucks were busy on the opening day of free agency, trading defenceman Marcus Pettersson to the New York Rangers and reaching free agent deals with defencemen Luke Schenn, Jamie Oleksiak and forward Paul Cotter.
Oleksiak was signed to a two-year, $10 million deal with a $5 million cap hit. Schenn’s contract is for $2.25 million and Cotter’s is for $2.15 million.
The Canucks got a 2030 conditional first-round pick from the Rangers in exchange for Pettersson.
“I want to thank Marcus for agreeing to the trade to New York and also for his time here in Vancouver,” said Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson said in a news release. “He was a strong voice in our locker room, a good leader, and we wish him all the best with the Rangers.”
Pettersson, 30, had three goals and 15 assists for 18 points while playing all 82 games for the Canucks last season.
He entering just the second season of a six-year, $33 million deal that runs through 2030-31 and carries a cap hit of $5.5 million.
Oleksiak, 33, had five goals and 15 points in 78 games with the Seattle Kraken last season while averaging 16:56 of ice time.
The 6-foot-7, left-shot defenceman is coming off a five-year, $23 million contract that carried a cap hit of $4.6 million.
Drafted 14th overall by the Dallas Stars in 2011, Oleksiak has 45 goals and 161 points in 758 career games split between the Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and Kraken.
Schenn, 36, finished last season with the Buffalo Sabres after he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets along with blueliner Logan Stanley in exchange for defenceman Jacob Bryson, forward Isak Rosen, and two draft picks at the trade deadline.
He had one goal and seven points in 50 games split between the Jets and Sabres last season while averaging 13:40 of ice time. Schenn appeared in two playoff games before the Sabres bowed out in the second round.
The 6-foot-2, right-shot defenceman is coming off a three-year, $8.25 million contract that carried a cap hit of $2.75 million.
This will be Schenn’s third stint with the Canucks. He skated in 18 games with the team in 2018-19 before re-joining them in 2021-22, where he played until 2023.
Drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, Schenn has 45 goals and 212 points in 1,122 games split between the Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Jets, and Sabres.
He won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Cotter, 26, registered nine goals and 15 points in 79 games with the New Jersey Devils last season.
The 6-foot-2 winger was acquired by the Devils, along with a draft pick, from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid in July of 2024.
He is coming off a three-year, $2.325 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $775,000 and became an unrestricted free agent after the Devils failed to give him a qualifying offer.
Drafted 115th overall by the Golden Knights in 2018, Cotter has 47 goals and 82 points in 296 career games split between the Golden Knights and Devils.
Cotter helped the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
