Canucks lose DeSmith to another team in free agency
Casey DeSmith is moving on from the Vancouver Canucks as he’s found a new team in free agency.
The goalie has agreed to a three-year contract worth $1 million per season with the Dallas Stars according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The contract offers DeSmith some stability as the term is tied for the longest deal of his career.
Sources say #TexasHockey have agreed to terms with goalie Casey DeSmith: 3 years x $1 million.
Stars tandem is now complete with Oettinger and DeSmith.@DailyFaceoff
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 1, 2024
DeSmith finished last season with a record of 12-9-6 as he helped give the Canucks one of the best goalie tandems in the league along with Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko.
The Stars already have a strong starter in Jake Oettinger and should have a great goalie duo for next season.
The emergence of young Latvian goalie Arturs Silovs in the playoffs for the Canucks means that DeSmith was squeezed out of the team’s plans. There were some rumours recently that the team had circled back and re-visited the idea of DeSmith being the backup next season but that plan clearly didn’t materialize.
The departure of DeSmith almost guarantees that Silovs will get a huge opportunity to start next year with a full-time backup role at the NHL level. While the team may still add a veteran goaltender for depth, having Demko and Silovs starts the season together seems to be the plan.
DeSmith spent just the one season with the Canucks. The team traded with the Montreal Canadiens to get him and he provided a solid veteran presence throughout the season. He was often pushed into the starter’s role as Demko suffered two serious injuries last year, although DeSmith then also got hurt the second time during the postseason.
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