The Vancouver Canucks have signed veteran defenceman Ian Cole to a one year deal at $3 million and centre Teddy Blueger to a one-year contract worth $1.9 million. General manager Patrik Allvin announced the signings of the two former Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday morning.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with the following players:
– Ian Cole (one year, $3M)
– Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9M)
– Tristen Nielsen (two-year, entry-level contract)
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 1, 2023
These are two solid signings as the club is being careful not to commit too much term to depth signings. Despite being left handed, Cole is able to play the right side and should help improve the Canucks’ historically bad penalty kill while providing defensive stability at 5-on-5.
As for Blueger, the 28-year-old Latvian centre spent the entirety of his NHL career in Pittsburgh before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline. Blueger is left handed but should be able to compete for the Canucks’ hole at the third line centre position.
The Canucks continue to work at signing Carson Soucy, as the 28-year-old defenceman has been linked to the Canucks for a while now.
The Canucks also announced that Tristen Nielsen (whose performance at the 2022 Young Stars Classic served as the inspiration for the DAWG rating) has been signed to an NHL entry-level contract. This is a nice reward for Nielsen, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Abbotsford Canucks for to the 2021-22 season.
