Micheal Ferland inks four-year deal with the Canucks

Despite already making an expensive splash on July 1, Jim Benning isn’t finished making additions to the team. Micheal Ferland, who has slipped between the cracks in this free agency period, is reportedly closing in on a deal with the Canucks.

Ferland is mostly known for his time in Calgary in which he evolved from an energy guy who would drop the gloves into a solid top-six offensive contributor. Last summer, he was a part of the massive, multi-player deal that sent Dougie Hamilton to Carolina and Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to Calgary. He would put up 17 goals and 40 points with the Canes during the regular season, helping the team end their lengthy playoff drought, though he didn’t play much of a role in the team’s surprising playoff run.

At the right price, Ferland can bring a lot of value to the Canucks. He’s only 27 years old and has scored at least 15 goals in each of his past three seasons. Of course, given the rough and physical style of game he plays, you’d ideally like to avoid giving him too many years on a contract.

If you don’t remember Ferland, here’s a refresher:

It looks like four years, $3.5 million annually for Ferland, which is a very solid deal. Benning will have to do a little bit of maneuvering in order to fit what’ll likely be a big Brock Boeser contract under the salary cap.