Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks are celebrating their return for the postseason by locking up supporting pieces to longish-term contract extensions.

The club announced on Wednesday that they’ve agreed to terms on multi-year contract extensions for Luca Sbisa and Derek Dorsett. Dorsett’s deal is a four-year deal that will carry a rather whopping $2.65 million annual average value, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Sbisa’s three-year extension is for $10.8 million in total, for an annual average value of $3.6 million, according to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.

At first glance these deals strike me inefficient in the extreme. 

Dorsett is a good soldier and an above average fourth-line player – a willing combatant who can legitimately chip in offensively, and has generally been a solid two-way forward throughout his career (though his underlying numbers have cratered this season). At $2.65 million through his age 32 season, the Canucks are paying a steep price for a guy whose best years are likely behind him and who arguably isn’t among the club’s 12 best forwards when everyone is healthy this season. 

You have to love how Dorsett has fought heavyweights all year, how he’s stood up to heavy Pacific Division opponents, and by all accounts he’s been something of a mentor to a variety of young players in the Canucks room. There’s value in that, certainly. 

Is there $2.65 million worth of value in that? I’m skeptical, particularly when you have an arguably more effective young player in Ronalds Kenins able to step into Dorsett’s relatively low leverage roster spot at 30 percent of the cost next season. 

The same goes for Sbisa. Sbisa has been a train wreck defensively this season, to put it mildly. Among NHL defenseman who’ve logged at least 1000 even-strength minutes Sbisa is the second most permissive by goals against rate, behind only Edmonton Oilers youngster Oscar Klefbom. That’s not good company.

Sbisa, 25, was always going to be a bit expensive to re-sign because of his odd backloaded second contract. This is a huge price tag though for a player who, despite his physical game, has essentially performed at a replacement level throughout his career. 

The club has some issues along the left side of their blue line, certainly, particularly with Dan Hamhuis beginning to show signs of age-related decline. Considering that Ryan Stanton would’ve cost about one-sixth as much to qualify on a one year deal though, surely this is a wasteful spot of spending. 

The Canucks now have salary cap commitments totalling somewhat over $66 million to 10 forwards, two goaltenders, five defenseman and Roberto Luongo for next season. Barring a dramatic move of some sort, it would seem that there’ll be little to spend on pending unrestricted free agents Brad Richardson, Shawn Matthias of this summer.