The Vancouver Canucks will have value in mind when shopping for players this summer. After posting the lowest point total in the National Hockey League during the 2025-26 season, Vancouver is not expected to land superstar players in the coming weeks. Instead, new general manager Ryan Johnson is likely eyeing solid players at reasonable prices in free agency.
The Athletic’s Thomas Drance acknowledged this in his latest article on the subject. According to the reporter, the Canucks should be ready to pounce on pending unrestricted free agent Ryan Shea. The veteran is coming off a career year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with 35 points in 80 games. Shea also led his potential former team with an impressive +30 rating during the 2025-26 campaign.
Because of his stellar play this past season, the left-handed blueliner will receive a substantial pay raise this summer. NHL insider Chris Johnston is predicting that Shea could earn a four-year deal at around $4.3 million AAV. Drance, on the other hand, believes the veteran will likely receive offers in the $3.6-$4 million range.
According to Puckpedia.com, Vancouver can quite easily reward Shea with a similar contract. The Canucks currently have just under $22 million in projected cap space. If these contract projections are fairly accurate, Shea’s salary would be between Filip Chytil and Nils Hoglander in Vancouver. These two players are the ninth and 10th-highest-paid players on the team, respectively.
Vancouver Canucks Could Use a Veteran Defenseman Like Ryan Shea
GettySoon-to-be former Penguin Ryan Shea would give the Vancouver Canucks defense a boost.
Assuming the Vancouver Canucks do ultimately land Shea, he would fill the team’s need for a veteran defenseman. As Drance previously pointed out, the Canucks basically need help across the roster, including a reliable blueliner.
“Vancouver’s needs, in short, are everything,” Drance wrote on June 16. “This is a team short on top-line talent and short on depth. Short on quality centers, scoring wingers and reliable, veteran defenders who can reasonably log top-four minutes, too.”
Shea’s recent surge in statistics coincided with an increase in time on the ice in 2025-26. The defenseman averaged nearly 19 minutes per game, more than two full minutes more than he received the previous year. Shea clearly proved that he could handle the extra workload and even helped kill penalties in Pittsburgh.
Despite his impressive season, Shea is not expected to return to the Penguins this summer. The veteran has kept the door open to a possible reunion, but Pittsburgh does not appear willing to give Shea his projected upcoming salary increase. As a result, he will likely become a sought-after defenseman in free agency.
Vancouver Could Soon Offload Another Veteran Blueliner
While the Vancouver Canucks are already looking for a veteran blueliner, this need could soon get bigger. Fellow defenseman Filip Hronek has been linked with a possible move out of Vancouver for months now. He was previously named as a potential suitor of the Detroit Red Wings before they landed Justin Faulk. Nevertheless, Hronek continues to be named as a trade candidate.
It remains to be seen if the Canucks will ultimately offload Hronek, though. At the moment, the veteran has six more years remaining on his $7.25 million AAV deal. Because Vancouver is not expected to contend in the next couple of years, Johnson may want to capitalize on the star’s value before it is too late.
Canucks Expected to Target 35-Point Veteran Defenseman