Canucks lose Cole in free agency, Lafferty signs elsewhere too
The Vancouver Canucks are starting to lose last year’s players to new NHL homes in free agency. Ian Cole and Sam Lafferty have signed deals with new teams for next season.
Cole’s contract with Utah is one year at a reported $3.1 million per season per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
✍️ SIGNED ✍️
We have signed 2x Stanley Cup Champion, Ian Cole, to a one-year contract 🩵#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/VJP5dZR8Ae
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) July 1, 2024
It’s a similar contract to the one Cole signed with the Canucks last summer which was worth $3 million for one season.
The Canucks were reportedly not close to offering the same amount of money per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
Ian Cole signs in Utah at 3.1 million
Canucks were no-where near this number, good deal for Cole.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) July 1, 2024
Cole finished last season with two goals and 11 points in 78 games for the Canucks. The 35-year-old helped solidify the team’s blue line and played a massive role on the penalty kill, helping to transform the unit from one of the worst in the league to solid.
Utah has been rebuilding their blue line and will have a lot of new faces playing on their back end next season. Cole will likely be a valuable depth piece, as he was for the Canucks this season, for his new team.
Former Canucks forward Sam Lafferty also found a new NHL home with the Buffalo Sabres. The 29-year-old’s rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks last week but he hit the open market today and moved to the Sabres.
The winger’s new deal is for two years and carries a cap hit of $2 million. He finished last year with 13 goals and 24 points in 79 games played but struggled to keep up his scoring rate in the second half of the season.
The Canucks have signed Jake DeBrusk, Dalton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, and Derek Forbort to replace some of their outgoing players including Cole and Lafferty.
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