Canucks sign C Tyler Graovac

One of the things on the Canucks shopping list was some centre depth for the Utica Comets and it appears they made their first move to address that.

Graovac was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 7th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Graovac played for the Stockton Heat last year where he appeared in 65 AHL games posting 24 goals and 26 assists along the way. He finished 2nd in points but led the team in goals.

Graovac has also played 62 NHL games over the course of his career with the Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals.

He comes in at 6’5″ and 210 pounds, so he provides some centre depth while also giving them some size down the middle. With the addition of Francis Perron via trade last week and the signing of Graovac, the Canucks have given themselves two players that can play at the NHL level in a depth role but likely give their AHL affiliate a big boost.

It will be interesting to see how they deploy their younger wingers in the AHL next season as they need them to take a step forward next season after what many consider to be a disappointing season.