Canucks show the door to one free agent!

It was a tough day for defenceman Derrick Pouliot on Tuesday. 

The Vancouver Canucks informed him that they will not be bringing him back for next season.

Sportsnet 650’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the blue liner will not be getting a qualifying offer from the Canucks this summer and will become a free agent as a result.

Most fans expected this news to come: the Canucks had high hopes for Pouliot, who started the season as a regular member of the Canucks’ defence corps, however, his minutes went down as the campaign went on. 

It seemed like his faith was sealed with the arrival of rookie Quinn Hughes and the likelihood of Olli Juolevi joining the roster at some point in the 2019-20 season. 

Pouliot was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, in a trade that saw Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick go the other way.

While the Canucks did not qualify last summer and ended signing him to a one-year deal, we certainly don’t expect the same thing to happen this time around. 

A change of scenery will hopefully benefit the 25-year-old former first round pick.