The signings just keep coming for the Vancouver Canucks.
With just a few days remaining until free agency opens, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has been busy, inking several pending free agents to new contracts. The latest is Tyler Myers, who re-upped with the Canucks on a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million.
The cap hit lands right around what was projected for Myers but the term is where things get dicey. Myers will turn 35 next season, meaning this contract will take him until he's 38 years old.
In addition, Myers' contract carries a no-move clause in the first two years of the deal, which then becomes a modified no-trade clause in the third year, with Myers providing a 12-team no-trade list.
Myers played the third-most minutes on the blue line for the Canucks this past season and was used in a match-up role in the playoffs. He scored 5 goals and 29 points in 77 games while averaging 18:56 per night in ice time.
“Tyler has been a valued member of our organization and we are very happy to have him back with our team,” said Allvin. “He brings a unique skillset to the ice and is a key member of our leadership group. Tyler is a big, strong, physical defenceman who fits in nicely on our backend.”
Clearly, the Canucks like Myers and Myers likes the Canucks. The question is whether the Canucks could have upgraded on Myers on the right side of their defence.
There are several right-shot defencemen available in free agency that would have represented an upgrade on Myers. That includes Matt Roy, Brett Pesce, Dylan DeMelo, and Canucks fan favourite Chris Tanev, who would likely run between $5-6.5 million per year, but also cheaper options like Sean Walker and Alex Carrier, who could land around $4-4.5 million per year.
The Canucks could still pursue one of those defencemen, bumping Myers down to a third-pairing role, but then the question is if they could have found a cheaper option for the third pair like Jani Hakanpää.
Still, there's a comfort level with Myers, who effectively adapted his game to the Canucks' new system this past season and became a steadier, more reliable figure on the blue line. It just seems like the Canucks took on a little too much risk with this contract.
