For a while there, “contract extensions in the 2026 offseason” were the number one topic of discussion in Canuck-land. But then Quinn Hughes, the player everyone was most concerned about re-signing, was traded to the Minnesota Wild long before he became eligible to agree to a new contract, and so the topic has kind of fallen by the wayside.

But Hughes was never the only Canuck up for extension. In fact, the very same trade that shipped him out of town brought in a couple more. In this article, we’re going to take a look at all the various Canucks who either are already eligible for contract extensions (by being in the final year of their current contracts) or who become eligible as of July 1 (by entering the final year of their current contracts on that date), and mention whether or not we think the Canucks should be entering into such negotiations with them this summer.

These players are all in the final year of their current contract, and will become unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2026, without a contract extension. Any of them could sign an extension at any point here, and most have been eligible to do so since July 1, 2025.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Maybe, depending on the terms. That’s the conclusion we came to when we wrote about this topic in the wake of Blueger not being traded at the 2026 Trade Deadline. The idea is that Blueger brings veteran stability at a vital centre position, and if the Canucks are going to field an even younger forward corps next year, that experience has value.

That said, with centres at a premium around the league, it’s quite possible that Blueger gets other, better, and longer offers elsewhere. The Canucks should make an offer, but a limited one, and should probably stick to that.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Yes, of course. The true longest-tenured Canuck should be rewarded for his loyalty if he still wants to stick around. Brisebois’ NHL days are probably largely behind him, but keeping him on board as a veteran leader down on the farm from now unto his retirement seems like the right thing to do – so long as injuries haven’t brought him to that point already.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Yes, probably. Douglas is a Group VI UFA, meaning he is hitting free agency a little earlier than most due to limited NHL minutes thus far in his career. The Canucks are going to need some muscle next season, and that’s what they picked up Douglas for in the first place. They’ve yet to see much from him, but they’ve seen enough to keep him on at league minimum. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: After spending virtually this entire season on the shelf with an injury that doesn’t seem to be getting much better, Forbort’s career is probably at a close. It would be nice to see the Canucks offer him some sort of off-ice role in recognition of his contributions, however.

Contract Extension This Summer?: No. Heck no, even. The Canucks can achieve some serious addition-through-subtraction by just letting Kane go this summer. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: Why not? Labate had a terrific training camp this year, and provides size, physicality, and experience down on the farm for easy recall if things ever get rough up at the NHL level.

Contract Extension This Summer?: No. The Canucks might need to sign another goaltender if they have to move on from one of Kevin Lankinen or Nikita Tolopilo this offseason, but they would likely look to sign a younger veteran with more upside instead of retreading Patera. 

These players are also in the final year of their contracts, but are not yet experienced enough to hit UFA status. Their rights can be retained by a qualifying offer, at which point they become restricted free agents (only able to change teams via trade or offer sheet).

Contract Extension This Summer?: We will guess that Åman will likely return to Sweden after this season. However, there’s really no reason to at least make him a qualifying offer. Centre depth is always valuable, and the Canucks don’t have much in the way of centre prospects clamouring for space on the farm as of yet.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Maybe, but probably not. Joseph did not make much of an impact despite getting into 24 NHL games. The Canucks would be better off giving NHL time to someone like Kirill Kudryavtsev than trying out Joseph again. Alternatively, they could look to sign another Joseph-type, as in an older D with some upside remaining, and see if that players hits a little better than Joseph did.

Contract Extension This Summer?: With Klimovich on Year Five in this organization without a single NHL game, this is almost certainly the summer the Canucks and he part ways. They may qualify him all the same, but unless he really really likes it in Abbotsford, chances are he’s going overseas. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: The RD exchanged for Jett Woo at the deadline has already surpassed Woo’s play with the Abbotsford Canucks, and is a fair bit younger, to boot. There is no real reason not to qualify a player with some upside in such a scarce position. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: We’re going to do these three in a batch, and say that they’re all players the Canucks’ management specifically acquired via trade, and thus must see something in, but are all fairly inconsequential as far as contract talks go.

This group of players will enter the final years of their contracts as of July 1, at which point they become eligible to sign an extension that will kick in as of the 2027-28 season. (Players on one-year contracts must wait until January 1, 2027, however).

The total list of such players for the Canucks includes Arshdeep Bains, Aku Koskenvuo, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Ty Mueller, Anri Ravinskis, and Ty Young. For the sake of article length, and because none of these aforementioned players have defined themselves on the NHL roster as of yet, we’re only going to focus on the big eight for this section.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Yes, as soon as possible. This offseason will be the last point at which teams can hand out eight-year contracts, and if there is anyone on this roster worthy of such a commitment, it’s Buium. Show some trust in the Canucks’ top current future asset now, and watch that contract gain in surplus value as it ages. This is an opportunity that cannot be passed up. Getting Buium under contract for as long as possible should be the offseason’s top contractual priority. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: Sadly, no. Chytil’s injuries put his entire NHL future at jeopardy, and it would be irresponsible to talk contract until that changes.

Contract Extension This Summer?: We imagine we will get some pushback on this, but the answer is yes. Lekkerimäki’s returns at the NHL level have been disappointing, but he’s eaten the AHL alive despite dealing with frequent injury. There’s a possibility for the Canucks to sign Lekkerimäki to a two or three-year extension now at a low price, allowing for major upside on the contract if and when Lekkerimäki ever pans out. For Lekkerimäki, some guaranteed income helps give him back some security than injuries have taken away from him. It could be a win-win.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Probably not. O’Connor has been terrific for the Canucks, to the point that we might say he has brought more value to the Canucks than Marcus Pettersson, despite O’Connor originally being the “B-side” to that trade. That said, O’Connor is coming off a career season, and is almost certainly expecting a raise off of that. The Canucks should wait to talk contract until they see what 2026-27 brings, as well as what the potential trade market for him may be next year.

Contract Extension This Summer?: Yes. This one is probably Priority #2 after Buium, and there is a similar opportunity to bet on upside now with a longer RFA extension, instead of a proverbial “bridge.” You might not want to hand Öhgren a full eight-year deal, but signing him at a reasonable rate for four-to-six years sounds appealing. For Öhgren, the Canucks have given him a lot more opportunity than have his previous team, and perhaps he looks to pay that commitment back.

Contract Extension This Summer?: This one should be relatively easy. The Canucks have identified the youngest Pettersson as a big part of their future blueline, but he’s never going to have the counting stats to demand a major salary. Get him into a reasonably-priced long-term contract now and it’s either fine if Pettersson stays what he is, or it blossoms into surplus value if he does develop into a true top-four defensive presence.

Contract Extension This Summer?: The Canucks should try to extend Räty to something cheap if they can, but we kind of doubt he would sign it. Räty’s faceoff abilities will ensure he has suitors all over the league for his services, so he really doesn’t need to compromise, especially not after the Canucks have limited his minutes this year. Both sides probably take a wait-and-see approach here. 

Contract Extension This Summer?: Regardless of what is going to happen with Tolopilo after training camp, there’s really no reason to not try to get him under contract. Even if the Canucks need to trade him to avoid placing him on waivers, as they did with Arturs Silovs, they’d probably get better value if Tolopilo had term. That said, Tolopilo himself may want to wait and see how many starts he gets in 2026-27 before he starts talking any salary.

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