Canucks sign two more free agents in Heinen and Sherwood

Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports | Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports

Patrik Allvin has been a busy man today. The Vancouver Canucks GM has signed four players in the first hour of free agency, and he may not be done yet.

After signing Jake DeBrusk and inking Derek Forbort to new contracts, the Canucks have announced two more deals. Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood are heading to Vancouver, with both players signing two-year contracts.

They announced Sherwood first. He’ll carry a $1.5 million cap hit. Four minutes later they announced Heinen, who will make $2.25 million per season.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Kiefer Sherwood on a 2-year contract with a $1.5M AAV.

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 1, 2024

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Danton Heinen on a 2-year contract with a $2.25M AAV.

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 1, 2024

After years of being linked to the Canucks in rumours, Heinen is finally coming home.

The Langley native completed second tour of duty with the Boston Bruins last season, scoring 36 points (17-19-36) in 74 games. The 6-foot-2 left winger will celebrate his 29th birthday later this week.

“Danton’s skill set will fit in nicely with the way we want to play hockey,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said in a media release. “His speed and ability to kill penalties will be a big boost for our group. We also feel he can contribute offensively, move up and down the lineup from time to time, and use his body and size to his advantage.”

Drafted in the fourth round by Boston in 2014, Heinen has also played for the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins during his seven-year NHL career. The left-shot winger scored a career-high 47 points with the Bruins in 2017-18 and tallied a career-high 18 goals with Pittsburgh in 2021-22.

Sherwood, meanwhile, is coming off a career-best season with the Nashville Predators which saw him score 27 points (10-17-27) in 68 games. It was the first full NHL season of the 29-year-old’s career.

“We saw first hand in the playoffs how tough Kiefer is to play against,” said Allvin. “We like his quickness, tenacity, and the way he competes in all situations. Adding another physical player to the mix will work well with the way our forward group is currently constructed.”

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Sherwood went undrafted before signing a free agent deal with Anaheim in 2018. The right-shot left winger starred at Miami University (Ohio) before turning pro. Aside from time with the Predators and Ducks, he also spent two years in the Colorado Avalanche organization.

Sherwood has 58 points in 187 career NHL games, and 172 points in 186 career AHL games.

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