The Stanley Cup is going through a whirlwind party tour of Miami.
From being dunked into the Atlantic Ocean and Roberto Luongo eating pasta out of the best-known trophy in sports, the Florida Panthers are pulling out all the stops as they celebrate being NHL champions.
It’s a sight Vancouver Canucks management would like to replicate.
And this week, team brass got down to business and shored up their roster.
On Thursday, the team agreed to terms with forward Dakota Joshua by signing him to a four-year contract worth $13 million, with each year averaging out to $3.25 million.
Last season, the six-foot-three winger from Dearborn, Mich., tallied 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in 63 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he had four goals and eight points in 13 games.
All were career highs for the 28-year-old who played on the team’s second or third line.
“Dakota had a strong season for us and took some big steps forward in his game,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said.
“We really like his size, his speed and physicality. He fits in well with our system and the way we want to play hockey, and I look forward to watching him continue to develop under our coaching staff.”
The centre was selected in the fifth round, 128th overall by Toronto in the 2014 NHL draft.
He never played for the Maple Leafs, though, and was traded to St. Louis in 2019, his last season of NCAA hockey, with the Canucks signing him as a free agent in 2022.
Canucks management also moved to shore up the team’s blueline on Thursday, re-signing big defender Tyler Myers to a three-year deal averaging at $3 million pe year.
There has been no word on negotiations with big Russian defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
On Wednesday, the team freed up valuable cap space by trading two forwards and a draft pick (2027 second round) to Chicago, with the Blackhawks flipping a pick (2027 fourth round) back to Vancouver.
The Canucks also re-signed forward Teddy Blueger to a two-year deal.
Currently, the Canucks have a projected cap hit of $72 million, giving them $15 million in cap space – enough to potentially sign star forward Jake Guentzel, who is rumoured to possibly be on the trading block and is drawing attention from several teams.
Last season, the five-foot-11 forward from Omaha, Neb., had 30 goals and 47 assists for 77 points in 67 games. He started the season with Pittsburgh but was traded after 50 games to Carolina, where he finished the season.
If the Hurricanes do trade him, it’s thought his salary would be around $9 million.
NHL free agency opens on July 1 at 9 a.m. PT.