BREAKING: Canucks make first offseason signing

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they’ve re-signed 6’5”, 215 lb defenceman Andrey Pedan to a one year, two-way contract. As per CapFriendly.com, the deal comes with a $750,000 cap hit should Pedan play in the NHL next season, but he’s guaranteed $300,000 should he play the entire season in the AHL.

The hulking defenseman played the entirety of 2016-17 in the AHL with the Utica Comets and had a fairly inconsistent campaign. Pedan put up just 10 point sin 52 games and was a healthy scratch under head coach Travis Green down the stretch, but his re-signing has to be seen as a nod of approval from his parent club in Vancouver. 

With the departure of Nikita Tryamkin from the Canucks blue line there is a spot for Pedan to earn in training camp next season, but he’ll have some competition from other players int he organization and, potentially, any free-agent additions. If he fails to play at the NHL level, he can at the very least provide guidance to the team’s emerging defence corps in Utica.