Canucks qualify Pedan, Grenier and Zalewski; Vey expecting to not receive one

Earlier today it was reported by News 1130 that the Canucks have qualified pending restricted free agents Andrey Pedan, Alexandre Grenier, and Mike Zalewski.

If they had not provided an qualifying offer to these players before June 27th, they would’ve become unrestricted free agents. The players have until July 15th to accept the offer, during which time they can negotiate different contract. If they decline the qualifying offer, the Canucks still retain their rights.

For Pedan, his agent already admitted that they will may not accept the qualifying offer:

As mentioned, Pedan requires waivers next year to be assigned to Utica. Things could change throughout the next couple of weeks, but at the moment Pedan looks to be in the mix for the 7, 8 or 9 defenceman on the Canucks. Given the Canucks traded a 3rd round pick to acquire Pedan, it’s fair to believe they don’t want to risk exposing him to waivers. He may clear, but it’s still a risk to lose him as Pedan is currently amongst the prospects with the highest pGPS within the Canucks organization.

Grenier will also be subject to waivers next season and looks to come into camp and secure a depth role. The forward ranks are a little crowded at the moment but things can change quickly and Grenier could certainly be in the mix for the 13th forward spot. Grenier will also not accept his qualifying offer:

Zalewski is an interesting case, as Canucks management did not qualify him last summer and he ended up signing an AHL only deal with Utica. He played so well that he earned an NHL contract in the middle of the season and saw a couple of games. He will require waivers next season to be assigned to the AHL, but would likely clear. If he comes to terms on a new contract, he will be an option for the fourth line when injuries occur.

Last piece of business this morning was that Linden Vey and Emerson Etem have not received a qualifying offer at this time.

The Canucks have until June 27th to provide the offer to retain their rights, and I would expect a new deal with Etem before then or the Canucks will qualify him prior to then. According to his agent, the Canucks will speak with them at the draft.

Linden Vey is another story, as his representation does not expect a qualifying offer:

Like the other players, things could change but if it’s a possibility that the Canucks will not qualify Vey and thus he will become a UFA. In his two years with the Canucks, Vey just never seemed to seize the opportunity. He looked good at times, and then at other times appeared to struggle, which given the news of his family situation can be understandable as he had many other things on his mind.

I would suggest qualifying Vey, signing him a two way contract and then if he isn’t able to secure a spot, he would be placed on waivers and then likely assigned to Utica. That would give the Canucks another viable option to recall when injuries happen.

It is unfortunate that it may not work out, as the Canucks paid a 2nd round pick to acquire Vey. However in the long run they were giving up a long term question mark for a smaller question mark in Vey and sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

Given that they also traded a 2nd round pick for Sven Baertschi, and that has worked out quite well – hitting 50% on those two trades is much better odds than using those picks.