What's the holdup with Tom Willander and the Vancouver Canucks?
Vancouver Canucks fans might need to keep waiting before top prospect Tom Willander joins the lineup.
The 20-year-old defenceman shocked everyone by not heading to Vancouver after his NCAA season finished, instead going back to Boston to resume college classes.
It was previously expected that the Canucks and Willander would agree on a contract shortly after his college season finished. Instead, negotiations between the two sides have been slow-moving, per multiple reports.
While Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported the two sides had an agreement in place last night, that was refuted by many local reporters. Seravalli eventually amended his report, and it’s clear there’s still work to do between Willander and the Canucks.
The two sides seem to be disagreeing over one major issue, which is the Schedule A bonuses included in his entry-level contract, per The Athletic’s Thomas Drance.
These are milestones for which, if reached, Willander would be paid extra. For defencemen, some of the Schedule A bonuses included reaching 10 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, finishing top-four on the team in ice-time, making the All-Rookie team, or making the All-Star team.
The Canucks have established a standard of paying under-market when it comes to Schedule A bonuses for entry-level contracts and seem resistant to breaking that for Willander at this point, per Drance.
There is just one regular season game left on the schedule for the Canucks, so it’s very unlikely Willander will join the big club and burn a year. This points even more toward the bonuses being the centre of debate.
“We all know the issues, “ CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal added yesterday. “You either burn a year and the other issue is [Schedule A] bonuses. The A bonuses are not giveaways, you don’t just hand them out, but players need to have a high degree of success to achieve them.”
Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson reported both sides are fine with starting the contract in the 2025-26 season, and thus, it’s likely the bonuses that are the point of contention.
If the two sides agree on a contract, Willander could still join the surging Abbotsford Canucks for their upcoming AHL playoff run on a professional tryout and earn some valuable experience.
Willander is the best defence prospect in the Canucks system and, as a right-handed blueliner, fits an organizational need. His progress will be closely monitored, and while the two sides are reportedly not close to a deal right now, things can change in a second.