Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Jayson Megna to One-Year Contract Extension

The Vancouver Canucks announced in advance of their matinee match with the San Jose Sharks announced that they’ve come to terms on a one-year, one-way contract extension valued at $675,000 for utility forward Jayson Megna.

In 53 games with the Canucks this season, Megna’s amassed eight points (four goals and assists alike) playing in every situation and role, averaging about twelve-and-a-half minutes of ice-time a game. In spite of Megna’s meek statistical profile, Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins has stood by the embattled winger all season.

Megna’s a coach’s favourite and fairly or otherwise a target of fan ire as a result. Today, for example, the Canucks are dressing Megna in Nikolay Goldobin’s stead for reasons that escape most in Vancouver, and in the public sphere he’s suffered that transgression whether it was his decision or otherwise.

And he’ll be back for at least another season as a Canuck.

Fans aren’t likely to receive this move with anything short of skepticism or in many cases outright anger, but on some levels it can make some sense.

If the Canucks’ intention is to use Megna as a 13th forward next season, then it’s small potatoes — a team can, and often does, fare worse in that regard. Should they decide to use him similarly to how they did this year, this move could prove harmful.

It’s curious that the Canucks felt they had to pay him more than the veteran minimum, grant him a one-way deal and finish this in-season. I can’t imagine the market for Megna’s services is such that the Canucks have to get in front of it with a player friendly contract.

This deal also moves them even closer to the ceiling for next season. Vancouver is already committed to 32 contracts, and that doesn’t account for the entry-level contracts and restricted free agents they have to commit to next season. With that in mind, one has to imagine that the likelihood of the Canucks retaining a player like Michael Chaput, who’s proven considerably more useful, is all but extinguished.

I don’t get it, but then again, it doesn’t seem like anyone does. Anyone outside the Canucks’ front office, that is.