It has now been two days since top Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander and his Boston University Terriers lost the Frozen Four Final game against Western Michigan.
Now, two days isn’t a long period of time for two parties to not come to a contract agreement, but in this situation, it is.
For example, here are eight former first-round picks and how many days after their NCAA season it took until they signed with the NHL club:
Ryan Leonard – one dayGabe Perreault – one dayZeev Buium – three daysOliver Moore – two daysSam Rinzel – two daysJimmy Snuggerrud – one dayMatthew Wood – two daysTrevor Connelly – three days
The maximum one of these high-profile prospects took to sign was three days, which still buys the Canucks time because it’s only been two days. However, the biggest concern is something we heard today from Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal when he gave us an update on what he’s hearing out of the Willander camp:
“I’ve just got a bad feeling about where things are between the Canucks and Tom Willander. Things with Willander, very quiet right now. That he was seen attending classes at Boston University this morning and he’s not on his way to Vancouver, he’s not on his way to Abbotsford? That’s not a good sign.”
The Frozen Four Championship game was held on Saturday in St. Louis. Instead of heading to Vancouver or Abbotsford with a new contract, he flew back to Boston to attend university classes. Making it seem like him signing and playing within the Canucks organization isn’t likely this season.
But it’s not like the Canucks aren’t familiar with signing NCAA prospects shortly after their seasons:
Brock Boeser ended his season with the University of North Dakota on March 24, 2017 and the Canucks had him signed on March 25, 2017.
Quinn Hughes ended his season with the University of Michigan on March 9, 2019, and the Canucks had him signed March 10, 2019.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki was signed the year before, but as soon as his SHL season with Orebro HK finished last year, he came over for a six-game stint before heading back overseas to tryout to represent Team Sweden at the IIHF.
So why haven’t the Canucks signed Tom Willander yet?
Well, there are two issues that come with signing a player at this point of the season. If Willander signs and plays in the NHL, he will have burned a year on his entry-level contract. In some cases, that’s beneficial for a player so they can sign an extension sooner and make more money. However, that isn’t always the best course of action for players.
If a player waits and plays three full seasons under their entry-level contract, that gives a player more game action to put on tape as to why they deserve that big payday on their second contract. If he has just a handful of games and two seasons, that’s just less time that he has proven he can play and produce at the NHL level to earn that lucrative payday.
Another factor that plays into it is A-bonuses, which are player performance bonuses.
A player can earn $250,000 for each player performance met, with a maximum of four in one season ($1 million total).
For a defenceman, here are the milestones a player can hit in order to capture those bonuses:
– 10 goals– 25 assists– 40 points– Top four in Time on Ice among Defensemen (in total and/or per game) on team (minimum 42 games)– Top three in +/- among defensemen on team (minimum 42 games)– 0.49 points per game (minimum 42 games)– Top two among defensemen on team in blocked shocks– End-of Season All Rookie Team– All Star Selection– All Star MVP
For a rookie defenceman, this is a tall task to reach. However, it does give the player an added incentive to not only sign but also play well to reach those performance goals.
Regardless of whether he signs and plays in the NHL this season or not, Willander is ready to turn pro. During this season with Boston University, he scored two goals and 22 assists for 24 points in 39 games. Along with that, he represented Team Sweden at the World Juniors this season and added two goals and three assists for five points in seven games against the World’s top prospects.
So if the Canucks or Willander don’t want to burn a year, why couldn’t he sign his entry-level contract and play down with the Abbotsford Canucks? After winning 14 straight games, they have solidified themselves as a top seed in the Pacific division and home-ice in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman joined Donnie & Dhali on Monday morning and spoke with Dhaliwal about what they’re hearing regarding Willander and the Canucks:
Friedman: “I heard some rumours that he wasn’t even going to play in Abbotsford this year. I’m trying to figure out how serious this is. Like, obviously it’s saber rattling, and obviously it’s a thing, and you always risk it going sideways. But someone was saying to me they weren’t sure he was going to play because Abbotsford is pretty set on their blue line. So don’t freak out yet, but there’s definitely some battling going on here. Like, do you think there’s a chance he wasn’t going to play at all, and therefore the Canucks feel like they can be patient here?”Dhaliwal: “What I had heard was the battle was over A-bonuses and or a burning a year. I mean, those were the two issues that I had heard.”Friedman: “Yeah, I think the A-bonuses thing is very real, I don’t know. Like, in a position like [Willander’s] burning the year might not be the best thing for him. It might be better to build up more of a resume before you burn that year. So, I’m really curious about this because, obviously, he’s a first round pick, talented kid and you want to have him and there’s definitely a battle going on here, but you always try to figure out how serious it is.”
Of course, anything can change with a phone call. But the fact that the Canucks have not signed Willander yet, is not only a bad sign for this season, but it’s not a great first impression for Willander and a potential future signing with him and the Canucks organization.
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