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Canucks GM Ryan Johnson recaps first day of NHL free agency
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jul 1, 2026, 20:22 EDT
Ryan Johnson accomplished a lot on his first crack at National Hockey League free agency.
The new Vancouver Canucks general manager held firm to his stated goals of patience and strategic vision for the organization, handing out a trio of low-risk, short-term contracts to veterans who want to be a part of what the club is trying to put together. Johnson also managed to pull off a significant trade for a valuable future asset when he convinced Marcus Pettersson to waive his no-trade clause to go to the New York Rangers for a conditional 2030 first-round draft pick.
“Yeah, it gives us options moving forward,” Johnson told the assembled Vancouver media in the team video room at Rogers Arena on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m always considering every type of deal, every type of contract; it’s always on the table. We’ve solved some problems, we’ve made changes, we’ve got some different faces without having to take on long-term commitments or things that might have had us at certain times rethinking things. I think this gave us a facelift a little bit; it gave us an opportunity to get new energy and new people. When you have people in a shorter situation that have a lot to prove, you can often get the best out of them.”
As he stepped back and exhaled after a busier-than-expected day of business, Johnson felt he and his staff had accomplished plenty in adding veteran defenceman Luke Schenn and Jamie Oleksiak along with versatile forward Paul Cotter. The Canucks also signed depth forwards Akil Thomas and Trey Fix-Wolansky, who will likely be destined for Abbotsford.
“It was a good day,” Johnson remarked. “I wanted to be strategic through this whole process. I feel with the people we have added, they fit the player profile I was looking at, but also the people and the character that I’ve made a priority. I think these are people that at the end of the day want to be here in Vancouver which was extremely important to me.”
On his new additions:
Luke Schenn: “He’s an ambassador of the game and a great human being. And talking to him today, and the conversation we had, he wants to be here; he wants to have an impact. He wants to see this organization get to where everybody wants it to go. It’s personal for him and that’s a big part of him coming back here.”
Paul Cotter: “Somebody that I’ve had an eye on for a while. I love his speed. He’s got size, he plays a physical game and he’s got a scoring touch that I still think is still a little bit untapped. At 26 years old, there’s upside. Excited to work with him. He’s ecstatic to be coming here. It was just a win-win. I think he’s in a bit of a prove year for himself. He wants to prove some people wrong. I’ve watched for years and appreciated his game and the opportunity to get him here and into our group, how Manny wants to play, play north and play fast, I think he’s going to fit to that perfectly.”
Jamie Oleksiak: “On a shorter term, we’re getting a bigger body that can penalty kill and gives us some stiffness. You look at the young defencemen we have, we have the opportunity to pair each of them with an experienced player to help them through their process and their development. And again, we’re adding a really good person that wants to be in Vancouver so that’s a win-win for me.”
On moving Marcus Pettersson for a 2023 first rounder: “I’ve been listening on everything, exploring options and trying to do what’s best for this organization short term and long term. When it became an opportunity with the return, I’ve made it clear that I’m okay looking into the future on some of these returns and some teams are limited in what they can do short term with futures and are more apt to push things which is fine by me. Marcus is an outstanding player and outstanding person. When he came here, he had a real impact on this dressing room, so I want to thank him, but I felt this was an opportunity I needed to take.”
You can watch the full Ryan Johnson media availability below:
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