Canucks lose out on Ian Cole free-agent sweepstakes
Ian Cole is not coming back, after all.
The Vancouver Canucks reportedly had interest in the 37-year-old defenceman when NHL free agency opened Wednesday at 9 a.m. PDT. His combination of leadership, experience, toughness, and an ability to kill penalties was appealing for a rebuilding team like the Canucks. He would have been a good mentor to some of Vancouver’s young blueliners, in particular.
Apparently he was appealing to the Chicago Blackhawks as well, because Cole signed a one-year contract worth $4.75 million with them on Wednesday. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
It came down to Vancouver and Chicago for Cole.
Very tough decision for Cole but he got a healthy raise with the Blackhawks. https://t.co/Ug4MY6aHmY
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) July 1, 2026
Sounds like it was a bidding war for Cole between the Canucks and Blackhawks.
“Very tough decision for Cole but he got a healthy raise with the Blackhawks,” CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal said of Cole, who made $2.8 million last season.
Cole played one season for the Canucks in 2023-24 before leaving for Utah, where he played the past two years.
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