Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet to debut new faces on a weekly basis.

Speaking of new faces, there are several on the Vancouver Canucks as of July 1, 2024. The Free Agent Frenzy lived up to its name as far as the Canucks were concerned, with seven UFAs signed within the first 24 hours of the market opening.

Jake DeBrusk has been added to the top-six.

So, too, perhaps, has Danton Heinen, and if not, he can fit in anywhere else.

Kiefer Sherwood brings sandpaper and determination to the bottom-six.

Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais ensure that the blueline is even more towering than it was last year.

And Nathan Smith and Jiri Patera qualify as quality depth additions.

Now, the good news is that you don’t really have to pick between these players. The Canucks signed all of them, and they’ll all get their shot come Training Camp in September.

But if you had to pick, we’re sure you have a preference. Of the seven, there’s got to be at least one that you’re a little bit more excited to see hit the ice for the 2024/25 season.

Well, don’t keep it to yourself!
This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You answered below!

Darren C:
I really like Allvin’s work on July 1.

The three NHL forwards look to be very good fits for their projected deployment, having the speed and physicality that Tocchet likes. As a whole, the forward group should be harder to play against than last year.

The third pairing D are noted for their work on the PK, which I’m confident is one of the reasons they were targeted. As an added bonus, they are signed for $1.5M less per season than Z alone.

Patera was a good WHL goalie in Brandon, but I have not seen him play in the NHL…in Clark I trust.

Would have liked to see the Canucks sign a right-hand center, but bonus points for still having a bit of cap flexibility.

Gut reaction:

Management did very well. The players that were brought in are a fit to the system of play the entire organization wants to see. I remember Rutherford in particular being quite critical of the system(s), or lack thereof, employed before Tocchet.

They had player roles they wanted to fill, a budget, and did what they wanted to do for the most part. More importantly, apart from giving a 27-yr-old 25-35 goal-scorer a seven-year contract at a pretty modest $5.5M, they stayed out of the silly business of 6-7 year contracts worth pretty decent AAVs for players already in their 30s!

On D, Myers at three years, Desharnais at two, and Forbert at one year are not going to block the likes of Willander, EP-D or even a potential bottom-pair player like Woo, McWard, Mynio and Kudryavtsev, for example. The ELCs that all teams need.

Canucks clearly had a plan and executed it, adding and retaining the type of players which make the team hard to play against without sacrificing offence

Adding two very large PK D means Hughes and Hronek should have to play less on the PK, and be ready to go to spark offence as soon as the penalty is over

Well executed plan. Agreed with the biggest bets they made (ie DeBrusk) and they also left themselves with some flexibility going forward. The depth of the forward group looks good.

They did superb work. Avoided the kind of ridiculous contracts based on past performance that Benning loved to hand out, and rewarded the play of some roster players who had good seasons. Improved the team and still left cap room.

I feel this group always seems to know it’s needs and goes after the proper guys to fill the hole. A little disappointed that we didn’t land a higher-profile winger, buttttt the contract/ age of DeBrusk is really a win for the team. Although the guy really struggles with his consistency. Defence seems to be lacking the pedigree of last year’s line up, but we do have a staff that can improve our defencemen. Hoping we come in under the cap before LTIR, so we can make some moves later in the season if necessary.

My gut reaction is that Allvin did good.

My gut reaction is that this management group has signed players more aligned to the team identity they are creating, rather than name-brand players with impressive (obvious) stats, so well done!

I think that sometimes casual and not so casual fans get caught up in the familiar names of players without the deeper dive into some of the no-name players that are out there.

Shout out to the commenters on this site that engage in real fan-based dialogue.

Overall, the Canucks did well in free agency. The team should be as competitive as last year.

I don’t think the defense core is better as this time, but it will change in the future when Tom Willander makes the team. It would be nice to see Cole McWard or Akito Hirose develop into an NHL defenseman.

Hopefully they sign Silovs. I think the Canucks really need to manage Demko’s load next year so he doesn’t get injured, and that means playing Silovs often. Silovs did great going into the playoffs cold. He could be better if he has regular practice during the regular season against NHL players.

The first line is improved with DeBrusk, though I’m not sure if Höglander is a fit on the first line. Ultimately, we need to discover if Petey is healed up and that he can develop chemistry with his linemates. The rest of the lines look like they will be really good.

Overall, I’m optimistic the Canucks will make the playoffs next year.

The forward signings are good, and at the right price.

But the Canucks really needed to sign a solid defenseman. The newcomers they did sign are big question marks. The Canucks seem to be relying on their ability to coach them into a sound third line.

I liked the signings. We didn’t break the bank and maintained some depth. Zadorov will be missed.

We should be fine if guys (EP40) play up to expectations.

It’s too bad they never picked up some reclamation projects on the cheap like Brannstrom, Lundkvist, Nylander, Klingberg, Bean, or Tyler Johnson. Maybe even Zadina. I think there is a definite need for a puck moving D-man that can play in the 4/5/6 spot.

I am pleased and optimistic, not overjoyed or ecstatic but pleased.

Last offseason, the same “toxicity hooked” trolls posted thousands of time how the team would be horrible and wouldn’t make the playoffs. Their attacks on the team will only intensify as the offseason progresses. Soucy sucks, Cole sucks, never heard of Blueger or Suter, so they must suck too.

Most of us checked the stats of the UFA signings and saw some room for optimism. It was hard to anticipate what a relatively new coaching staff would make out of such a refurbished roster. It wasn’t long before the cautious optimism started to turn into the pleasure of watching a good team beat already established quality teams.

This summer isn’t a lot different. Management has upgraded some forwards with some who are fast and genuinely hard to play against. They play in a way conducive to the long absent identity this regime wants to establish for the team. When the captain says how happy he is the team signed Sherwood. it’s meaningful. The team is set to start without using LTIR instead of living barely within its limits. Doing so just after locking up two top-six forwards and a top-four D long-term while facing cap inflation on salaries is pretty phenomenal.

Before the start of last season, Rutherford said a lot of things have to right to be a playoff team. Still not a perfect roster, but several things will have to go wrong to miss the playoffs. LTIR is still sitting right there if the right deal on another upgrade shows up.

I also like the signings. A couple of buds of mine were texting back and forth, and we were pretty happy with the day, and then they announced Desharnais. There was a collective ‘Hmm,’ but since then, reading a few articles and listening to Desharnais and believing in the coaching staff, I think it might bring the best out of him. But I still believe they need another puck-moving D-man, and I’m also on the ‘take a chance on Boqvist’ wagon.

I had a gut reaction, and a post-gut reaction.

Gut reaction was: “aww, we didn’t get one of the big names, or an old favourite like Tanev.”

Post-gut reaction was: “ohh, we got a really good guy who may be perfect for Pettersson, a nice mix of size, speed and grittiness elsewhere, and we didn’t do a long-term contract on someone already well into their 30s (sorry Tanev).

Which seems to be the MO for this management team – not always the splashiest, but always active, and always following a plan.

Gut reaction is simple: Canucks brought in players to fit their identity. They did this with very reasonable contracts. Plus added speed and toughness up front. The scoring will be spread out.

Super! This management group has put together a solid group that is at least as good, but I think better, than last season’s starting group (remember we started without big Z or Lindholm) AND has more cap flexibility. Massive relief that we didn’t just plunge back into cap management problems. Bodes well for positive long-term competitiveness and improvement. Especially when we are finished with the OEL buyout, the last of the Benning contract anchors.

The Canucks had a good day on July 1st. Like last summer, they overpaid for no one. DeBrusk’s term is long, but he’s 27, so he’ll only be 33 when the contract expires. They significantly improved their forwards. Heinen is an upgrade on Mikheyev. Sherwood is an upgrade on Lafferty. DeBrusk is a true top-six winger who fills a void because no one like him was on the left wing last year. All have speed.

They improved goalie depth, given that DeSmith signed elsewhere. They signed two D consistent with their commitment to having four large, tough defenders on the team. The two D, Forbort and Desharnais, will be very hard to play against. As much as I would have liked Zadarov to stay with the team, I would not be happy if they signed him to a $5m. x six-year contract. This management team is astute and prudent when it comes to July 1st Free Agency Day.

With everything the Canucks needed I was very curious how they would actually accomplish this in the offseason. I tried many variations and permutations on CF, and could not really see a path where the Canucks added a $9-10 M dollar player AND adequately filled out their roster without trading a $5 M dollar player (over and above Mikheyev) out. I am pleased with the role players added, as they seem to be a good fit for the style of play Tocchet wants. DeBrusk is more of a question mark in my opinion, but I will defer to the Canucks scouting staff on that addition. Is this team better than last year’s?? I don’t know, but it’s certainly worth watching to find out. At the very least PA did not saddle the Canucks with a massive overpayment in $$ and term like some teams did. That was a big plus in my opinion.

Really impressed with the self-control of this management. If I were GM I would have made the emotional decision mistake of signing Zadorov long-term. Really glad they didn’t bite on some of these DUMB contracts out there.

The identity is obviously clear in who they targeted, love that.

My gut tells me that they believe the Ratys, Bains and Podkolzins are going to have good camps, and will provide us nice cheap value contracts for a few years allowing us to bolster at each trade deadline for the next few years.

What I also like, is that the main rival in the pathway to a championship is the Edmonton Oilers, and they struggle against teams with a solid forecheck, which we are going to improve.

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