Which NHL teams did each Canucks free agent end up signing with?

NHL Free Agency has come and gone, and as was the case for many teams, there weren’t a ton of fireworks for the Vancouver Canucks.

The club managed to re-sign Brock Boeser in the 11th hour thanks to a last-minute call from general manager Patrik Allvin. They also extended two key pieces in Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland. Later, they added depth defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Like we said, not a ton of fireworks.

While the Canucks kept some familiar faces around, they also lost a couple of players as well. Without further ado, here is our annual look at where each Canucks free agent ended up landing and what exactly they signed for.

Pius Suter – 2 years, $4.125 million AAV with the St. Louis Blues

Pius Suter proved to be one of the best value signings the Canucks have made in years. Signed late into the 2023 offseason to a two-year deal at just $1.6 million annually, Suter put up 29 points in his first season as a Canuck before exploding for a career-high 25 goals and 46 points this past season. Of course, Suter brings value in areas outside of just point production, as his ability to play the wing and centre made him extremely valuable for the Canucks.

But when it came time to pay Suter in free agency, the Canucks elected to say thanks, but no thanks. Suter signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Blues on day two of free agency that will see him be paid $4.125 million annually.

Noah Juulsen – 1 year, $900,000 with the Philadelphia Flyers

Rick Tocchet loves him some Noah Juulsen. Juulsen, who enjoyed the best years of his career while Tocchet was behind the Canucks’ bench, signed on with Tocchet’s Flyers on a one-year, one-way deal that will see him be paid $900,000. A native of Surrey, BC, Juulsen came to Vancouver after the Canucks traded Olli Juolevi to the Florida Panthers in October 2021. Over his Canucks tenure, Juulsen played in 99 games for the AHL Abbotsford Canucks and 109 games for the big club. He also appeared in two playoff games during the Canucks’ 2023-24 playoff run.

Sammy Blais – 1 year, $775,000 with the Montreal Canadiens 

This is a really nice contract to see for Sammy Blais. Under a year ago, he was on a pro-tryout contract with the Canucks and couldn’t earn an NHL contract with the Canucks in the end. So off to work he went in the AHL, where he put together a strong regular season with the Abbotsford Canucks (40 points in 51 games) before exploding for 19 points in 23 games during the Canucks’ Calder Cup Championship victory and becoming a major story of the AHL playoffs.

Blais was rewarded for his efforts with a one-way contract with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, meaning he’ll be paid the same amount of money whether he’s in the NHL or AHL.

Cole McWard – 1 year, $775,000 with the New York Islanders 

Originally signed by the Canucks at the tail end of the 2022-23 season as a college free agent out of Ohio State University, the club chose not to extend a qualifying offer to right-shot defenceman Cole McWard, making him an unrestricted free agent. McWard signed a two-way contract with the New York Islanders on day one of free agency.

After appearing in 67 regular season games for the Abbotsford Canucks, McWard appeared in just 12 playoff games for the team and was a healthy scratch for the final half of the Canucks’ march to the Calder Cup.

Phil Di Giuseppe – 1 year, $775,000 with the Winnipeg Jets 

Finally — and this one hurts the most since Phil became a real friend of the show during his hits on Canucks Conversation during the Calder Cup playoffs — Phil Di Giuseppe signed on with the Winnipeg Jets.

Di Giuseppe spent the past three seasons in the Canucks’ organization, spending time in both the AHL and the NHL. After appearing in 11 playoff games for Vancouver during the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Di Giuseppe leaves the organization having played a crucial role in Abbotsford’s Calder Cup championship, both on and off the ice. According to Puck Pedia, the deal for Di Giuseppe is a two-way deal, meaning he’ll be paid $775,000 if he’s in the NHL, and $450,000 if he’s playing in the AHL.