6 players with expiring NHL draft rights the Canucks could sign

As June approaches, the hockey world gears up for pivotal events like the Stanley Cup Final and the NHL Entry Draft.

However, June 1st also marks a critical deadline for NHL teams to decide on prospects with expiring signing rights.

Per PuckPedia, these prospects typically fall into five categories:

Players drafted in 2023 from Canadian Major Junior Leagues who remained in Major Junior through their age-20 season.
Players drafted in 2021 from Canadian Major Junior Leagues who left Major Junior before their age-20 season.
Players drafted in 2021 from European leagues before age 20.
Players drafted in 2023 from European leagues at age 20 or older.
Players drafted in 2021 who attended college but left before graduating.

You can view the entire list of unsigned prospects here.

There are varying reasons why players are left unsigned. Some slip due to underwhelming production, others due to undeveloped NHL-calibre skills, and some fail to find common ground during contract negotiations. Heck, with contract limits, some teams simply do not carry the space in their depth chart.

For example, the Vancouver Canucks have two prospects with expiring rights: Lucas Forsell and Hugo Gabrielson, playing in Sweden’s SHL and Allsvenskan, respectively.

Forsell, a 2021 seventh-round pick, has confirmed he won’t sign with Vancouver before his rights expire. While no official word has surfaced on Gabrielson, there’s a strong chance the Canucks will let his rights lapse as well.

This brings us to today’s focus: beyond the Canucks, which prospects with expiring rights across the NHL’s other 31 teams might be worth signing for added depth?

In response to questions from our comment section, we’ve compiled a list of notable names. We will prefix this list with the knowledge that these prospects are likely considered depth pieces. However, depth is essential to an organization, whether in its farm team or with the parent club.

You asked, so we delivered.

Viljami Marjala

We’ll start with Viljami Marjala, who may have the highest offensive ceiling on this list. That’s backed up by a strong statistical resume at nearly every stop of his young career.

Growing up in the Finnish system, he spent varying seasons alongside Aatu Räty. Whether club play (Kärpät) or International play, the two would reconvene at various points of their U20 careers.

In the 2020 CHL import draft, the summer before his draft year, the Québec Remparts took Marjala 14th overall. He then crossed the pond and played out his eligible and draft-plus-one campaigns.

While he wasn’t an offensive dynamo, he put up a respectable 73 points (18 goals, 55 assists) in 98 games. He also added another 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 18 playoff games during that time.

He eventually returned over the Atlantic, joining the TPS organization in the Finnish circuit. He started his time with the U20 team, where he dominated with 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in just 32 games. With substantial junior numbers, he jumped to the top tier for his first look in Liiga.

It’s now two full seasons since he made that jump, and he’s posted 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) in 129 games. That included an explosive rookie season, where he finished with the most goals (17), assists (23), and points (37) from a rookie to take home Rookie of the Year honours.

In his second year (2024-25), he finished tied with the ninth-highest totals among all Liiga skaters, while leading the entire U23 fleet with eight goals and 52 points. Additionally, He went 49.7% in the faceoff circle and brought a 56.94% Corsi score for the year.

As you can tell by his extraordinary assist totals, Marjala is described as a skilled, pass-first centre. His ability to rack up points makes him an intriguing prospect, but his issue arises in the compete and defensive department. Given the skill, however, that may be something you’re willing to work with to boost production.

Here’s a montage of a few of his primary assists from this season. One of the most impressive elements of his game is his ability to make high-end plays with speedy one-touch plays.

His head is up scanning before the play hits, allowing him to catch goalies sliding while the puck is already off his stick and heading in the opposite direction.

If you’re looking for a point-producing flyer, here’s an option to sink your teeth into.

Liam Dower-Nilsson

Liam Dower-Nilsson likely won’t sign with the Detroit Red Wings, making him a top free agent among this list. The issue is that the 22-year-old has elected to stay overseas on his own merit, believing it is the right decision for him and his future to take one last season developing.

But if he can be convinced that North America is the best option, he has an intriguing skillset as a playmaking two-way centre. Dower-Nilsson has been playing with Björklöven of the Allsvenskan league, where he’s amassed 83 points in 136 games.

He’s never set foot on North American ice, which is a concern. But given his playing style, marked by a high compete level, we’d like to think he could translate somewhat seamlessly.

He’s a prospect known for his responsible 200-foot game, while also carrying a high hockey IQ to make tremendous plays as a set-up man. But above all else, he competes hard and grinds in the dirty areas to collect his cookies.

When looking at his goals, the one thing that stands out (aside from his release) is the area in which he’s scoring the majority. He scores many goals in tight, digging inside in the paint or taking pucks in stride off the rush.

Additionally, he has a creative mind and finds teammates with impressive vision.

He’s also not afraid to dig, strip, hit and work to gain possession of the puck and create the transition.

Like most of this (or all), his potential likely caps out as a bottom-six forward. But this list is all about flyers for depth pieces, and Liam Dower-Nillson is among the more intriguing.

Martin Ryšavý

Here, we bring you some power elements. Coming up through the Czech leagues, Martin Ryšavý brings a blend of size, physicality and some soft skills. Although he’s never posted high-end numbers, he seems to step up when the going gets tough.

After being drafted late by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 6-foot-3 forward made his way to Moose Jaw, where the Warriors drafted sixth overall in the CHL Import Draft a year earlier.

There, he posted 103 points (44 goals, 59 assists) and 82 penalty minutes in 155 season games. He coupled that with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 40 playoff games, where he helped the Warriors take home a WHL Championship in his final season (2023-24).

Here are some of his hits from that magical run. His physicality played a considerable part in allowing their top producers to provide the scoresheet.

He helped Czechia earn a World Junior Silver Medal the year prior with a goal and three points.

Now back in the Czech top league, he couldn’t take that next step in development, and posted sub-10 points in 52 games as a rookie in his first run in a men’s league.

That said, he skates well for his size, plays a physical and high-motor game and brings two-way acumen.

The ceiling isn’t incredibly high, which is likely why the Blue Jackets let his rights go, but if he could put it all together in a package that delivers some more offence, he could serve as an intriguing depth option.

Matthew Mania

In addition to a strong name, Matthew Mania is a smooth-skating transitional defender who can distribute the puck and produce points from the backend.

In fact, in his draft years, he was widely considered one of the top transporters among the deeper list of players (let’s say, third round and beyond). While he eventually dropped to the fifth round, he was ranked between 55 and 90 in most rankings.

So why did he drop? Well, the big reason is likely due to his lack of shutdown ability. Which, as a defender, is not a valued deficiency. He wants the puck often, and when he has it, he tends to attempt a little too much in our viewings.

Although he battles well, he’s not a tough defender and has poor defensive gap control. Which can lead to massive problems at the professional level.

That said, everything with the puck is strong. He handles the puck well without breaking under pressure. He skates well, showing good edges, speed and athletic ability. As a creative right-shot defender, he transitions effectively and is a natural quarterback.

How about these goals?

Here are some clips of his transitions up the ice. With his head up scanning, he finds teammates with a crisp and accurate pass from out of his zone. He’s also not afraid to hold on to it and go for a skate himself.

Even with a bit of a “soft” game, he’s still a major penalty killer on his Flint Firebirds team and is destined to provide secondary power play quarterback for a team in the future.

In the last two years, he’s posted the 16th-highest point total among defenders, with 106 points in 178 games. For a fifth-rounder, he’s certainly squeezed out value.

The good news is that he’s still just 20 years old, with plenty of runway to work with. He brings enough intriguing offensive ability to be easily worth the contract as he works out his kinks at the American League level.

Alex Pharand

If you’re looking for more responsibility and leadership, Alex Pharand is a decent bet. Having just completed his fourth and final season with the Sudbury Wolves, the 20-year-old pivot is ready to take his talents to the professional ranks.

Playing for his hometown team, he posted 142 points (58 goals, 84 assists) across 256 games, and played as the team’s assistant captain in 2024-25.

Although flashes come out occasionally, his game isn’t tailored toward an offensive play, and as he jumps up the ranks, that will likely be more prevalent.

But like Chase Wouters, captain of the Abbotsford Canucks, he brings other elements that could offer substance at the next level. He brings good size, skates well and brings a never-ending rush of energy to the ice. Still just 20 years old, there’s still a decent runway to carve out a career within an NHL team’s organizational depth chart.

Jonathan Myrenberg

The Canucks have a chance to do something funny by signing a former shipped-out draft pick.

In 2022, Jonathan Myrenberg and Michael DiPietro were sent to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jack Studnicka.

Since being dealt, the right-handed defender has yet to cross the pond for games. However, he did join the Providence Bruins to practice earlier this spring after an injury-ridden 2024-25 campaign held him to just 18 games.

While he hasn’t produced much in the professional leagues since being drafted, there’s still hope that he carves out a role as a puck-moving depth piece. As a point-producing defender in the U20 ranks, some untapped offensive potential is undoubtedly waiting to be released.

Joining the Swedish guild, which Vancouver has fostered within the system, could point him in the right direction.

He’s a mobile, puck-moving defender with size and a premier shooting hand as a right-shot.

There you have it, folks. Are there any names which you’d like to see the Canucks add to bolster the depth chart?

Viljami Marjala

Liam Dower-Nilsson

Martin Ryšavý

Matthew Mania

Alex Pharand

Jonathan Myrenberg

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