Canucks pondered Lucic and like Soucy as free agency looms: report
Milan Lucic is free to talk to other teams and the Vancouver Canucks just might be interested.
This is according to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, who provided a number of Canucks updates on Donnie and Dhali today, as we inch closer to the start of free agency on July 1.
It doesn’t look like Lucic will return to the Calgary Flames next season, as Dhaliwal reports that his agent has been granted permission to talk to other teams prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent. The East Vancouver native just completed the seventh year of a $42 million contract he signed back in 2016.
Lucic, 35, is a fourth liner at this stage of his career. He scored a career-low 19 points (7-12-19) in 77 games last season while averaging just 11:18 of ice time.
That means he’ll come a lot cheaper than his last contract, though teams may pay a premium for the intangibles the 6-foot-3, 240-pound winger provides.
I believe the Canucks have internally talked about Lucic.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 20, 2023
Will the Canucks come calling? The team has at least talked internally about the possibility of it, according to Dhaliwal.
Canucks like Soucy
Carson Soucy is also a pending unrestricted free agent.
The 6-foot-5, 208-pound defenceman should have no shortage of suitors interested in his services if he becomes available on July 1. The 28-year-old from Viking, Alberta, fits a positional need, and the Canucks will have the money to sign the left-shot blueliner after buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson last week.
“If Seattle defenceman Carson Soucy hits July 1st, this is a player the Canucks really like,” Dhaliwal said.
The question is, what kind of contract will Soucy command?
Soucy scored 16 points (3-13-16) in 78 games with the Kraken last season and appeared in all 14 playoff games for Seattle. He was Seattle’s sixth defenceman though, averaging just 16:18 of ice time during the regular season and 14:35 in the playoffs.
But given his size and ability to kill penalties (he averaged 1:42 of shorthanded ice time, third-most among Seattle defencemen), he is an intriguing option.
In our opening segment @DhaliwalSports updated the latest with Ethan Bear, Kyle Burroughs and the #Canucks possible interest in Milan Lucic and Carson Soucy.https://t.co/h4e2SKLzpb pic.twitter.com/F34fXtBOcj
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) June 20, 2023