The Vancouver Canucks have invited veteran forward Sammy Blais to a professional tryout, the team announced Thursday. At the same time, Blais signed with the Abbortsford Canucks, Vancouver's AHL affiliate.
Last season, Blais, 28, appeared in 53 games for the St. Louis Blues and scored seven points (one goal, six assists) while averaging 9:41 of ice time per game.
Blais has been on an interesting career path so far. He was a fifth-round pick by St. Louis in 2014 and spent several years there, even winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. The Blues then sent him to the New York Rangers in the Pavel Buchnevich trade in July of 2021, only to re-acquire him in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade in February of 2023.
In 257 games across seven seasons, Blais has scored 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists). He also has 122 penalty minutes to his name, so he can throw the body around when needed.
The Quebec native also represented Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded eight points (six goals, two assists) in 10 games. He scored two goals in the final game of the tournament, helping Canada defeat Germany 5-2 and win gold.
If Blais can make the Canucks roster, then he should be a nice bit of forward depth for a team that wants to win now. If not, then he's a nice piece to have in case of emergency.
