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3 former Canucks remain unsigned a month into NHL free agency

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Jul 28, 2026, 18:10 EDTUpdated: Jul 28, 2026, 18:11 EDT

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Three former Vancouver Canucks are still looking for places to play next season with six weeks to go before National Hockey League training camps open.

Winger Evander Kane, along with defencemen Derek Forbort and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, are all unrestricted free agents and have been on the open market since July 1st. It’s quite possible at this stage that all three may be required to sign professional tryout offers in an effort to extend their NHL careers.

Kane appeared in 71 games for the Canucks last season, scoring 13 goals and finishing sixth in team scoring with 31 points. He was second on the team with 171 shots on goal and also led the hockey club with 92 penalty minutes. Quite remarkably, despite missing 11 games, Kane was third among Canucks forwards in total 5-on-5 ice time last season, trailing only Drew O’Connor and Brock Boeser. The Vancouver native reached the 1,000-game milestone late last season, but only played once more before fading into the sunset in Canuck colours.

Set to turn 35 on August 2nd, Kane is just two years removed from a 24-goal season in Edmonton. However, he failed to provide the physical presence the Canucks were hoping for, and that clearly didn’t go unnoticed by other teams this offseason. Perhaps there will be a league-minimum late summer contract offer for Kane. But at this stage, it seems he’s more likely going to have to go the PTO route and try to earn a deal by proving he can still play a robust style and chip in with some depth scoring.

Forbort will likely have to prove he can still play in the league, too. He played the first two games of the season for the Canucks last October and then mysteriously disappeared. He went from a maintenance day to needing hip surgery which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Now 34, the veteran defenceman needs to show he is fully healthy and can keep up with the speed of the league. Forbort can offer a team penalty killing utility, but may not be an every day contributor at this stage of his career. The Duluth, MN native has not managed to dress for more than 54 games in any of the past four seasons.

P-O Joseph did what was asked of him by the Canucks. Signed as a depth defender on July 1, 2025, Joseph understood the assignment. He appeared in 31 games scoring once and adding six assists while averaging 13:18 of ice time per game. With the defence corps undergoing a seismic shift last season with the trades of Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers, Joseph was used sparingly but didn’t seem to let that bother him. He seemed to be popular with teammates and brought the kind of attitude needed for a player seeing spot duty. In 2022-23, the former Arizona first round pick logged 75 games for Pittsburgh and produced five goals and 21 points while logging more than 15 minutes of ice per game. But it’s been a struggle since then. And, right now, the 27-year-old is biding his time looking for a new hockey home. He was one of five restricted free agents not tendered a qualifying offer by the Canucks.

Change comes with the territory in professional sports and the Canucks have elected to go with different options for next season. As a result, they made the decision to move on from Kane, Forbort and Joseph. Now it’s a matter of waiting and watching to see if any of the three land contracts for next season or whether they’ll be forced to accept tryout offers.

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