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Vancouver Canucks have lost four players in free agency and three more are likely to leave

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Jul 3 2025, 4:51 pm
Vancouver Canucks have lost four players in free agency and three more are likely to leave
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

In the early days of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks’ front office managed to keep most of the team’s core together.

Headlined by a shock seven-year extension for fan favourite winger Brock Boeser, the Canucks also inked forward Conor Garland, and goalie Thatcher Demko on new long-term deals.

But the Canucks weren’t able to keep ’em all, as four players have now departed the franchise since free agency opened on July 1.

Noah Juulsen (Philadelphia Flyers), Phil Di Giuseppe (Winnipeg Jets), Pius Suter (St. Louis Blues), and Cole McWard (New York Islanders) have all left Vancouver for different teams.

Suter’s departure is likely the most impactful. While Suter came into Vancouver still mostly unproven in a top-six role, he put up career highs of 25 goals and 21 assists this past season, totalling 46 points.

Juulsen, meanwhile, will be reuniting with former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet on his new team.

McWard and Di Giuseppe were more impactful at the AHL level than the NHL level during most of their Canucks tenure. McWard played just six NHL games in Vancouver in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, while Di Giuseppe played 101 NHL games over the last three seasons, and amazingly also 101 AHL games over that time frame.

Both players were members of the Abbotsford Canucks team that won the franchise’s first-ever Calder Cup this past season.

Are the Canucks going to lose anyone else?

On their NHL roster, the Canucks don’t have any unrestricted free agents remaining, nor do they have any restricted free agents seeking new contracts. While losing the aforementioned players — particularly Suter — gives Vancouver a bit of a roster shakeup, they most seem set to avoid a major roster overhaul.

But there are still a few more departures likely on the way. Earlier this week, Tristen Nielsen, Ty Glover, and Christian Felton were not tendered to qualifying offers, meaning the organization has given up its restricted free agency rights. The three players remain unsigned for next season.

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