The Vancouver Canucks have signed 24 year old forward Michael Chaput to a two way deal:

Chaput was a free agent after the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to not qualify the young centre.

I wrote yesterday that the Canucks would likely need to target some forward depth for Utica, and that is exactly what Chaput is. But with that being said, there is something here.

Chaput was a 2010 3rd round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, who was moved to Columbus for Tom Sestito. He has been a very serviceable AHL player but has never seemed to make it in the NHL, scoring 8 points in 58 games with Columbus over the past three seasons. Columbus boasts some serious prospect depth, so a player like Chaput gets pushed out.

He had 8 points in 17 games with Lake Erie this past spring on the way to a Calder Cup championship.

He will join the Canucks organization with hopes of getting a chance to make an impact at the NHL. It’s unlikely he makes the team out of camp, but he can quickly position himself as a call-up option when injuries occur.