Confirmed with Link: Canucks Sign Tom Willander to ELC

[Diversification]

This contract negotiation reminds me of ...

...only, inflation adjusted it's even dumber.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Wait, the chicken littles were wrong that this was THE harbinger of doom?

color me shocked. It's almost like signing a college player with two more years of team ownership in May instead of April after his second year of college literally doesn't matter. Like at all.

What do some of you do when something actually goes wrong in your life? Genuine question.

 

[VanJack]

Now that he's in the fold, the most interesting debate is whether or not Wilander immediately jumps into the NHL, or needs some time in the AHL.

My bet is that once he gets into the NHL lineup, like EP25 before him, you won't be able to get him out of the lineup.

In fact a shutdown pairing of the future with EP25 and Wilander replicating their roles for Sweden in the World Jr. Hockey Championships, would be something to see.

It might just put a spring back in the step of even the oldest, and most jaded, Canuck fan. And down on the farm, one of the best d-men in these AHL playoffs has been Kirill Kudryavtsev.

I don't know where he'd slot in at the NHL level with so many left-shot d-men in the fold. But if ever gets into the parent Canucks lineup--most likely as the result of injuries--you might have some trouble getting him out of the lineup as well.

There's certainly a bounty of young, up-and-coming d-men in this Canuck organization. Might be one of the best in franchise history.

 

[arttk]

How much is less relevant than the fact that the Canucks moved up to get to $200k apart. Once there, both sides worked together to get to a deal. Before that move up, it was a stalemate.

I mean stalemate was broken with a 17k increase, basically a token increase to save face for the agent side.

Key point is, management already gave them an offer on par with previous 11 OA and all the drama lead to them getting 100k above that which is just f***ing dumb. Basically the agent gaslit the entire fanbase through Dahaliwal to get a total of 100K more in potential earnings.

 

[Goatlender]

Wait, the chicken littles were wrong that this was THE harbinger of doom?

color me shocked. It's almost like signing a college player with two more years of team ownership in May instead of April after his second year of college literally doesn't matter. Like at all.

What do some of you do when something actually goes wrong in your life? Genuine question.

How come you post a version of this post in almost every thread it applies to? Just makes you seem bitter and resentful of people here.

I actually agree and never freaked out over this, but can appreciate that it happened in April/May (not much else to talk about regarding the Canucks) and our media ran with it (mainly Dhali). It also would have been nice to see Willander get some AHL experience and playoff games with Abby.

 

[wetcoast]

why not just sign Rossi to a 1st and 3rd offer sheet that Minny doesn't want to match.

2 reasons and the first is that the Canucks don't have their 3rd rounder this year and if they do it for 2026 it's an excellent and deep first round and probably not worth it.

That being said the Canucks need to figure something out with their 2 C spot or maybe they wing it if Chytil is healthy, but he isn't a good # 2 center.

 

[Vector]

 

[wetcoast]

Wasn’t worried about him signing. Now just got to hope these bald clowns don’t trade him. Kid will be a top pairing minute eating stud.

Our defence for the future and Gavin McKenna is the only exciting thing about this franchise right now.

Quinn Hughes - Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson - Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson - Victor Mancini
Sawyer Mynio - Kirill Kudryatsev

Is insane.

We won't be bad enough to get McKenna and MP will be a top 4 Damn here for the next 4 years.

KK is also trending as a better D man than Mancini who is most likely never going to be nearly as good as some people are proposing here.

 

[Jerry the great]

2 reasons and the first is that the Canucks don't have their 3rd rounder this year and if they do it for 2026 it's an excellent and deep first round and probably not worth it.

That being said the Canucks need to figure something out with their 2 C spot or maybe they wing it if Chytil is healthy, but he isn't a good # 2 center.

Any offer sheet is going to involve the 2026 draft as the 2025 draft will already be complete and reacquiring our 2026 3rd round pick from Calgary is unlikely to be an impediment of significance should they want to go down this road.

If they are successful, there's is a decent chance we're a playoff team next season and the pick is bottom third of the 2026 draft. obviously there is risk to that outcome.

 

[Jerry the great]

i'm already looking forward to the negotiations on his next contract.

 

[wetcoast]

Any offer sheet is going to involve the 2026 draft as the 2025 draft will already be complete and reacquiring our 2026 3rd round pick from Calgary is unlikely to be an impediment of significance should they want to go down this road.

If they are successful, there's is a decent chance we're a playoff team next season and the pick is bottom third of the 2026 draft. obviously there is risk to that outcome.

I guess it depends on what else they might do.

In a vacuum getting Rossi for a 1st and 3rd would be good value but long term hoping that EP40 bounces back.and a small not elite skater in Rossi, who I like BTW and giving up maybe a very good prospect with the 26 first could set us back and just keep us in the muddling middle.

With our strength on the back end I'd be more open to trading Hronek for say maybe Byfield?

But lots of moving parts here and the Canucks tend to think way too short term and not enough long term and overall picture.

 

[Jerry the great]

I guess it depends on what else they might do.

In a vacuum getting Rossi for a 1st and 3rd would be good value but long term hoping that EP40 bounces back.and a small not elite skater in Rossi, who I like BTW and giving up maybe a very good prospect with the 26 first could set us back and just keep us in the muddling middle.

With our strength on the back end I'd be more open to trading Hronek for say maybe Byfield?

But lots of moving parts here and the Canucks tend to think way too short term and not enough long term and overall picture.

A lot of what happens next year is going to depend on whether Pettersson bounces back. I'm hopeful that his MASSIVE ego is a tailwind and he does. we'll see.

If he does, and they bring in Rossi who is a very good player (ES and PP) and would come with a GIGANTIC chip on his shoulder they suddenly look like a completely different team up front...and there will likely be another add or two as well.

Couple that with solid goaltending, a very solid defense and i don't see a mushy middle of the pack team.


Any pick made in the bottom third of the 2026 draft is as likely to bust as become an impact player and even if we get lucky, that impact is unlikely to be felt until 2030.

We can't afford to wait for homegrown impact players until Hughes is extended...and even then we'd probably be better off selling the future for immediate help to compete for as long as he's an elite talent.

 

[Raistlin]

I guess it depends on what else they might do.

In a vacuum getting Rossi for a 1st and 3rd would be good value but long term hoping that EP40 bounces back.and a small not elite skater in Rossi, who I like BTW and giving up maybe a very good prospect with the 26 first could set us back and just keep us in the muddling middle.

With our strength on the back end I'd be more open to trading Hronek for say maybe Byfield?

But lots of moving parts here and the Canucks tend to think way too short term and not enough long term and overall picture.

the strength at the backend is projected. you remove Hronek and the whole thing falls apart before the foundation solidifies. Right now, the movable pieces are the young guys (Forbot and Myers too) unless you really want to go after McKenna (which you may), but then you lose Hughes. Dont get me wrong, Byfield will be a dream, but targeting a less costly asset makes more sense because we do have a backup in the form of Chytil.

Out of curiosity, do most posters here value EP25 over Willander?

 

[Hughes Clues]

the strength at the backend is projected. you remove Hronek and the whole thing falls apart before the foundation solidifies. Right now, the movable pieces are the young guys (Forbot and Myers too) unless you really want to go after McKenna (which you may), but then you lose Hughes. Dont get me wrong, Byfield will be a dream, but targeting a less costly asset makes more sense because we do have a backup in the form of Chytil.

Out of curiosity, do most posters here value EP25 over Willander?

I have them even at this point. One is a proven NHL commodity. The other is likely to achieve that and more in short time.

 

[Nuckles]

Yet another JR/Allvin masterclass

 

[wetcoast]

A lot of what happens next year is going to depend on whether Pettersson bounces back. I'm hopeful that his MASSIVE ego is a tailwind and he does. we'll see.

If he does, and they bring in Rossi who is a very good player (ES and PP) and would come with a GIGANTIC chip on his shoulder they suddenly look like a completely different team up front...and there will likely be another add or two as well.

Couple that with solid goaltending, a very solid defense and i don't see a mushy middle of the pack team.


Any pick made in the bottom third of the 2026 draft is as likely to bust as become an impact player and even if we get lucky, that impact is unlikely to be felt until 2030.

We can't afford to wait for homegrown impact players until Hughes is extended...and even then we'd probably be better off selling the future for immediate help to compete for as long as he's an elite talent.

That's fair but I also don't think that the Canucks forward group has enough grit for a deep run but value wise Rossi would be worth that.

That being said a lot or this assumes the two big things you mentioned and Jake deBrusk on the # 1 line is a problem for me, lots of moving parts.

 

[Canucks LB]

Yet another JR/Allvin masterclass

He got to be in the world’s development camp, that’s not bad honestly

 

[wetcoast]

the strength at the backend is projected. you remove Hronek and the whole thing falls apart before the foundation solidifies. Right now, the movable pieces are the young guys (Forbot and Myers too) unless you really want to go after McKenna (which you may), but then you lose Hughes. Dont get me wrong, Byfield will be a dream, but targeting a less costly asset makes more sense because we do have a backup in the form of Chytil.

Out of curiosity, do most posters here value EP25 over Willander?

Willander absolutely has more value and I really like EP25 but this untouchable talk is ludicrous.

From a long term salary cap and team building value trading Hronek makes more sense to me than trading a valuable cost controlled younger guy.

Packaging younger guys who don't hold the same value won't get the return needed.

You have to give to get.

 

[Jerry the great]

Yet another JR/Allvin masterclass

So instead of signing an ELC consistent with his draft slot and going to abby to experience a playoff run, Willander holds out for almost a month over what ends up being an additional $17k/year in potential bonuses. This is a far worse look for the player than it is for the team IMO.

 

[Jerry the great]

That's fair but I also don't think that the Canucks forward group has enough grit for a deep run but value wise Rossi would be worth that.

That being said a lot or this assumes the two big things you mentioned and Jake deBrusk on the # 1 line is a problem for me, lots of moving parts.

could always try and trade the 15th + SJ 3rd in the 25 draft for Rossi, reacquire our 2026 3rd from CGY and throw a massive offer sheet at Cuylle. Though Alvin appears to have a decent relationship with Drury, so i doubt they'd do that.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

So instead of signing an ELC consistent with his draft slot and going to abby to experience a playoff run, Willander holds out for almost a month over what ends up being an additional $17k/year in potential bonuses. This is a far worse look for the player than it is for the team IMO.

and he also didn’t finish out his school year or make the world championship team

i think his parents need to step in and fire his agent?

 

[Nuckles]

So instead of signing an ELC consistent with his draft slot and going to abby to experience a playoff run, Willander holds out for almost a month over what ends up being an additional $17k/year in potential bonuses. This is a far worse look for the player than it is for the team IMO.

Strongly disagree.

This isn't a multi-year NHL vet that has already made millions of dollars, it's his first (and possibly last) NHL contract. I agree it's kind of a bad look to hold out for this amount, but to me Willander isn't the one coming out of this looking like a fool.

The NHL franchise worth over a billion dollars pinching pennies is a far worse look, especially when it prevented their top prospect from joining Abby in their playoff run. The Abby fans could have gotten a look at him in-person, Willander could have gotten some NA pro hockey experience while helping out the baby canucks.

 

[tantalum]

So instead of signing an ELC consistent with his draft slot and going to abby to experience a playoff run, Willander holds out for almost a month over what ends up being an additional $17k/year in potential bonuses. This is a far worse look for the player than it is for the team IMO.

I think Diamond is trying to make it look bad on the team when really it reflects most poorly on him. He was trying to play a leverage game when honestly he has very little. The kicker in these negotiations will always be a player likely NHL bound in year 1 is not generally going to risk $1 M in salary to gain a fraction of that in potential bonuses.

I'm absolutely fine with Willander wanting to try to make Team Sweden for the worlds. And by all accounts he had a fabulous camp and exhibition.

 

[Bleach Clean]

I mean stalemate was broken with a 17k increase, basically a token increase to save face for the agent side.

No, that's when both sides were moving off of their positions to make a deal. When they were already within $200k of each other.

The stalemate was in place before they got to within $200k of each other.

Key point is, management already gave them an offer on par with previous 11 OA and all the drama lead to them getting 100k above that which is just f***ing dumb. Basically the agent gaslit the entire fanbase through Dahaliwal to get a total of 100K more in potential earnings.

Rutherford didn't offer what was on par with the 11OA until early May. That's the implication here. He waited to make that offer, it was then made, and then they were within $200k of each other, which then led to a deal.

 

[arttk]

@Bleach Clean from the agent himself.