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PITB's Vancouver Canucks Free Agent Frenzy Meta-Liveblog Spectacular

Will the Vancouver Canucks sign anyone other than Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland on July 1?
Daniel Wagner
Daniel Wagner
rogers-arena-black-seats
Rogers Arena on July 1, 2025, as they continue to install new black seats on the first day of NHL free agency.Daniel Wagner/Vancouver Is Awesome

Will the NHL's free agency be a frenzy or will it fizzle?

The Vancouver Canucks have some significant needs on their roster and not a lot of money available to address those needs. Meanwhile, this free agent class has dwindled, with several of the most intriguing free agents already off the market.

The Canucks have been active, but only to re-sign Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland. 

I'm at Rogers Arena waiting with bated breath to see if the Canucks will make a big swing. I'll be keeping you updated throughout the day in this liveblog and, since it's a meta-liveblog, I'll be covering more than just free agency, but the act of covering free agency.

Refresh often and comment below.

12:40 p.m. | The Canucks have informed us that Brock Boeser won't be available to speak to the media until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. In his defence, he just got back from a vacation, according to Patrik Allvin. 

Meanwhile, there has been no announcement of a media availability for Thatcher Demko on the day he signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract, so we apparently won't be hearing from him.

That basically means this is a wrap on the liveblog. There are a few of us still in the suite at Rogers Arena, either shooting pieces for TV and podcasts or hacking away at keyboards.

They've taken away the spread of food and, alas, no lunch today. Fortunately, I came prepared with some snacks.

I'll say farewell to the liveblog, but keep an eye out this afternoon for a couple of articles. Thanks for following along!

12:15 p.m. | We just got done talking to Patrik Allvin, signifying that the Canucks are done dealing on July 1.

That means they added no one new, only re-signed Brock Boeser, though that's certainly significant.

I asked Allvin what changed from the five-year contract they reportedly offered Boeser during the season.

"From our end, it was a little bit unknown in the season where our cap projection was going to be," said Allvin. "We talked about several different options for Brock, and Brock expressed his interest in staying in Vancouver long-term, which was very important for him. Then you're going to figure out what makes sense for our team to be competitive moving forward."

I also asked about the injury risk for Demko, given that he will have one of the highest cap hits among NHL goaltenders — the same cap hit as three-time Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck.

"That was part of where we were settling on a three-year deal," said Allvin. "That was part of it for Thatcher as well. At the end of it, Thatcher's going to be 33 years old. If you see the combination of what Thatcher and [Kevin] Lankinen are making, I think a lot of teams are up towards that same amount. Having those two quality goalies locked in here definitely makes our team competitive."

I'll have more on Allvin's comments in a separate article.

11:30 a.m. | We just concluded the Zoom media availability with Conor Garland after some technical difficulties (upgrade your wifi, Conor!). 

There were 7 or 8 reporters all gathered around one shared laptop for the Zoom call. It was a funny visual, seeing a bunch of phones splayed out around the laptop like petals of a flower recording the interview, but we've all got to get our individual audio files into our transcribing apps.

We also had to deal with sounds of the ongoing construction at Rogers Arena, as they're hard at work installing the new black seats. No Canada Day off for these guys.

10:55 a.m. | With a certain amount of irony, the worst fruit on the breakfast platter was the blueberries. You could taste the dehydration of the workers.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed Abbotsford Canucks star Sammy Blais to a one-year, $775,000 contract. They've also signed Kaapo Kähkönen, who was in net for the Charlotte Checkers, so they were clearly scouting the Calder Cup Final.

Honestly, good for Blais. His hard-hitting, high-energy game was a key element for Abbotsford in their Calder Cup win and he deserved another NHL shot.

Former Canuck Ethan Bear has signed with the New York Islanders for one year, $775,000. That seems like a reasonable bet for the Islanders. Bear had a fantastic season in the AHL, putting up 46 points in 62 games. 

10:38 a.m. | Another great take on the Brock Boeser re-signing from Canucks Twitter.

10:30 a.m. | PITB co-founder chips in a take on the Canucks' roster diversity after signing Evander Kane: "Now the Canucks have two Black left-wingers. They’re basically MSNBC!"

There have been a bunch of other signings, none related to the Canucks.

Well, one is vaguely related to the Canucks, who were rumoured to be interested in signing Tanner Jeannot. Thankfully, they didn't get him, partly because he's Not Very Good™, but also because he got too much money and too much term, signing with the Boston Bruins for five years at $3.4 million per year.

Connor Brown is signing with the New Jersey Devils for four years at $3 million per year.

10:15 a.m. | Quote from Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin from a press release:

"Brock has been a huge part of our organization, and we are extremely happy to have him back in the fold," said Allvin. "He has scored some big goals for our hockey club and has established himself as a very dangerous offensive player. Brock is a leader and culture setter in our locker room, and we’re confident he will continue to play an important role for our team moving forward doing great work both on and off the ice."

That's the nicest thing Allvin has ever said about Boeser. 

10:05 a.m. | I got a longer take from my Pass it to Bulis co-founder, Harrison Mooney, on the Boeser re-signing.

"He deserves to be back. He and Pettersson are this team's long-tenured core forwards, and I think the team is right to invest in both of them and trust them to bounce back and find first-line chemistry together. Staple them to one another and let the 500 middle-six wingers around them compete for the second-best job in Vancouver.

"Best job is obviously VPD chief, because you don't have to do anything and you make a boatload of money."

Here's my favourite take on Boeser coming back:

10:00 a.m. | Thatcher Demko is slightly happy with the Brock Boeser signing, saying, "Thank you sweet baby Jesus, thank you" on his Instagram story.

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Thatcher Demko/Instagram

Meanwhile, Pass it to Bulis co-founder Harrison Mooney texted me a pretty great analogy for what this signing feels like.

"This is like when your cat’s been gone for two months and then he just walks in like nothing happened. MEOW?? I MOURNED YOU."

9:55 a.m. | I am still reeling from the Brock Boeser signing. I honestly can't believe he re-signed in Vancouver after everything that's happened in the last few months.

The announcement kicked off a flurry of activity here at Rogers Arena, as the television reporters had to scramble to get a take ready for a live hit — a take that they never anticipated needing. Print and online reporters definitely didn't have "Brock Boeser re-sign with the Canucks" articles ready to go, so there was some furious typing on laptops. 

My take on the Boeser signing is that it's a pretty reasonable cap hit for a goalscorer like Boeser, especially with the cap going up, but Boeser gets the long-term security he was looking for and over $50 million in total compensation.

Other deals that came in while I grappled with the Boeser signing: Corey Perry signed with the Los Angeles Kings, ensuring that they will make the Stanley Cup Final next year and lose. Joel Armia is also heading to the Kings. 

Dan Vladar signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, a two-year contract worth $3.35 million per year. 

The New York Rangers signed the top defenceman on the market, Vladislav Gavrikov, to a seven-year deal worth $7 million per year. 

9:28 a.m. | Holy smokes.

Rick Dhaliwal is reporting that Brock Boeser will indeed re-sign with the Canucks.

Incredible.

Dan Murphy had the scoop and even has the contract details.

I am stunned.

9:25 a.m. | According to Sportsnet's Dan Murphy, the door isn't completely closed between Brock Boeser and the Canucks.

He said as much live on the air with Sportsnet and confirmed that's what he's hearing in-person here in the suite. He thought it was dead between them; now, it's only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.

9:19 a.m. | Will Noah Juulsen's signing lead to the first fine for tampering under the NHL's new anti-tampering rules?

Juulsen's signing was announced immediately after free agency opened, joining former Canucks head coach Rick Toccher in Philadelphia. The speed of the signing was surprising given how firm the NHL has been about cutting down on tampering, but ChekTV's Rick Dhaliwal said it was fine: the Canucks had given Juulsen's agent permission to speak to other teams.

Only, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun recently reported that teams are no longer allowed to do that.

"NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told teams they are not allowed to give permission to their respective pending UFAs to speak with other teams ahead of July 1.

"In the past, that was a normal occurrence. But the league, I think, felt that was a go-around of the fact that the UFA “speaking period” was abolished in 2020. The only way pending UFAs can speak to other teams before July 1 is through a bona fide transaction (rights traded). That stipulation from the league caught some NHL front offices off guard."

If a one-year, $900,000 contract for Noah Juulsen leads to an anti-tampering fine, that would be peak comedy from the NHL.

9:10 a.m. | A comment from Chris the Curmudgeon, concerned for my diet.

"I am not sure if I am hoping for you to be busy or bored today, DW. Maybe try to eat a little protein though."

Regrettably, the breakfast is lacking in protein options, but the Canucks typically provide wraps and sandwiches for lunch that provide a little protein. I should be okay.

Meanwhile, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Nikolaj Ehlers, the biggest name available on the market, won't be picking a destination today.

One has to wonder if that will hold up other deals, as teams hoping to be in on Ehlers won't be moving to plan B until Ehlers signs.

Brock Boeser is the next best winger available after Ehlers; will he sign somewhere today? Rumours are connecting him to the Los Angeles Kings.

9:05 a.m. | No waiting around! The first signings have come in and a former Canuck is heading out of town.

Noah Juulsen is signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, reuniting with head coach Rick Tocchet.

$900k for Juulsen isn't terrible. Good for him. 

9:00 a.m. | Free agency is officially open, so let's see how long it takes for the first signing to hit the wire. 

Perhaps teams will take their time to announce any signings to avoid any appearance of tampering, given that the NHL is itching to make an example out of someone.

8:52 a.m. | I have to tell you, it is trippy hearing a TV hit while that hit is on TV. Farhan Lalji just did a great clip for TSN, but there's a significant broadcast delay, so we could all hear Farhan speaking for a good 15 seconds from a suite next door before we heard the exact same thing on TV. 

I felt like the most low-rent time traveller in history. 

8:28 a.m. | The setup at Rogers Arena is solid this year.

In previous years, they had a media room setup in the bowels of the arena, while the television broadcasters were up in the suites on the second floor, which was a pain in the neck for that crew. If they wanted to grab a bite to eat or some coffee, they had to run down the stairs or wait for the elevator and hope that there wasn't any breaking news that their network wanted them on the air immediately to cover.

This year, everyone is set up in a series of suites on the same level. To quote Norm MacDonald, all the stars are here: Sportsnet's Dan Murphy and Iain MacIntyre! TSN's Farhan Lalji! Postmedia's Ben Kuzma! The Hockey News's Adam Kierszenblat! And more!

There are a couple of TVs in the primary suite with TSN and Sportsnet running to keep everyone updated. 

There's a nice little continental breakfast laid out, which is appreciated.

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Breakfast at Rogers Arena on July 1, 2025. Daniel Wagner/Vancouver Is Awesome

I've eaten a croissant, a muffin, and some fruit, and I'm halfway through a can of Beaver Buzz Root Beer, so I'm ready to rock.