In what was believed to be a dud of an opening day of NHL free agency, there was surprisingly more action than expected – especially for the Vancouver Canucks.

In Ryan Johnson’s first free-agent period as an NHL general manager, he made four free-agent signings and one trade involving a veteran with full trade protection. We thought we’d give some initial thoughts on the moves. Spoiler alert: we’re generally pleased with what the Canucks did today.

Having Paul Cotter be the first signing of the Canucks’ day was actually an intriguing bet. He has the size that Johnson covets at 6’2″, 213 lbs. His skating is high-end, ranking in the 88th percentile around the NHL for top-speed burst last season. And despite being a bottom-six player, Cotter has a very underrated shot. According to NHL Edge, Cotter’s hardest shot logged was 91.72 MPH, which ranked in the 89th percentile league-wide.

For a depth player, Cotter doesn’t bring much of a defensive game with him. He doesn’t kill penalties, and throughout his five-year NHL career, he’s had just one season where he finished above 50% in Corsi For Percentage and Expected Goals For Percentage at 5v5.

However, the bet on Cotter is for the untapped offensive upside that Johnson mentioned in his media availability later on Wednesday. His career-highs in goals (16) and points (22) came in 2024-25 with the New Jersey Devils, the same year he averaged the most ice time. So, with more opportunity, he’s proven he can step up his game. And in Vancouver, he should have plenty of opportunity to develop that untapped offensive potential.

And if that happens, with him signing a one-year, $2.15 million contract, Cotter could be a piece the Canucks can flip at the NHL Trade Deadline for future assets. A potential win-win for both the player and team.

This move just made too much sense for the Canucks and the direction they’re heading in. They want to fix the culture and bring in players with high character, and it’s hard to find a player better suited for that than Luke Schenn.

Schenn was beloved in the Canucks’ locker room during his two stints in Vancouver. He’s an NHL journeyman who has gone through just about everything the league has to offer.

As a former fifth overall pick, he was highly-regarded and was thrust into the NHL right away. Schenn may not have been ready for it, and it sent his career down a different trajectory. He found himself on his way out of Toronto, and a few years later, his career looked like it may be over. But he fought through the tough times, changed how he played, and carved out a new role as a rugged depth defenceman. As a result, he won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and just signed on to play his 19th NHL season.

All of this to say, Schenn’s been through it all. Along with the high character and positive attitude he’ll bring to the Canucks locker room, he will be an encyclopedia for the other young players on the roster and help guide them into what it means to be a professional. And the beauty of it all, Schenn understands the role he will play on the team as a 36-year-old, and that doesn’t involve him playing all 82 games. And when he’s in the lineup, he’s someone who head coach Manny Malhotra can “throw to the wolves” to play the difficult minutes and help shelter the other young defencemen.

Unlike Cotter, Schenn’s one-year contract comes with a full no-movement clause. So, we wouldn’t expect Schenn to get moved at the deadline, as this is potentially his riding off into the sunset season. However, his impact in the locker room is going to be far more valuable than what he would return in a deadline move.

When this trade first hit the news cycle, we were shocked. If the Canucks were to make a trade involving one of their veterans with term, we figured it would be Jake DeBrusk, since his name has been dominating the trade rumours lately. Earlier in June, there were rumblings that Marcus Pettersson would welcome a trade, but his agent shot those rumours down quickly. Clearly, those rumours were true.

Regardless, this marked the official start of the rebuild. Trading Quinn Hughes could be seen as the start, but the return was three young roster players and a first-round pick. But the difference here is that Johnson was willing to receive a 2030 first-round pick back in exchange for M. Pettersson. That’s four drafts away. If that’s not future-based thinking, we don’t know what is.

Johnson has spoken at length about his vision and not wanting to rush the process, but this move puts some action behind those words. He’s been talking the talk, and now he’s walking the walk. Of course, there’s a lot more work to be done, but this was a great first step to that vision Johnson’s been preaching.

It’s also a tidy piece of business to have the Jamie Oleksiak signing lined up and announced shortly after the Pettersson trade. We’ve been saying it all along that while the Canucks need veterans on the blueline to help insulate the young defencemen, they don’t need to be these veterans. Johnson was able to strike on a hot trade market, pick up a future first-round pick, and sign a similar-profile defenceman to replace a chunk of what they will lose in M. Pettersson. And who knows, Oleksiak could be flipped at some point over his two-year contract for more future assets to help the rebuild.

It’s a positive start to what looks to be a lengthy process. But with more moves like these, Johnson is setting up the Canucks for future success.

What do you think, Canucks fans? What were your initial thoughts on the Canucks’ moves on opening day of NHL free agency? Let us know in the comments below!