Vancouver Canucks sign Jamie Oleksiak to two-year contract
The Vancouver Canucks have added some size to the blueline.
Fresh off bringing Luke Schenn back into the fold to help fill out the defensive group, Canucks GM Ryan Johnson made another big play for a free-agent defenceman. The team announced that they had inked six-foot-seven defender Jamie Oleksiak to a two-year deal with a $5 million cap hit.
The Toronto native has spent the last five seasons playing right across the border with the Seattle Kraken.
General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with defenceman Jamie Oleksiak on a two-year contract worth $5M AAV.
DETAILS | https://t.co/HStxLs5a9h pic.twitter.com/54otii98Cq
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 1, 2026
The 33-year-old Oleksiak will not blow anybody away with his offensive chops, having scored just five goals and 15 points in 78 games last year. What he will do is make the Canucks that much harder to play against and bring a bit of a veteran presence to a younger squad.
He is also the older brother of Canadian Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak.
Vancouver was in the market to acquire another left-shot defenceman after trading Marcus Pettersson to the New York Rangers earlier in the day. It isn’t a long-term contract, and the Canucks aren’t expected to seriously compete over the next two seasons, so bringing in Oleksiak on a two-year deal isn’t that much of a risk.
Johnson has had quite a busy first free agency at the helm of the Canucks. Apart from Oleksiak and Schenn, he has also brought in free agent forwards Paul Cotter, Akil Thomas, and Trey Fix-Wolansky.