Canucks add grit, toughness with free agents Beagle, Roussel
Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning believes his team will be tougher to play against next season after signing a trio of free-agent forwards on Sunday.
The Canucks inked centre Jay Beagle and winger Antoine Roussel to four-year deals worth an average of $3 million US per year. They also added forward Tim Schaller on a two-year contract, worth an average of $1.9 million annually.
Benning said Vancouver was looking to round out a group of young talent with experience and grit when the NHL’s free-agency period opened.
“We want to be a harder team to play against and I think the players we added make us harder,” Benning told reporters on Sunday. “They’re experienced players, they’re going to help out in the locker room.”
Adding leadership is key for the team, after three longtime Canucks forwards hung up their skates last season, including Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who retired after 17 seasons with the team. Derek Dorsett ended his career in November due to spinal issues.
“Losing Danny and Hank in the dressing room and that leadership void, I feel like we’ve covered that a little bit with the signings today,” Benning said.
Beagle comes to Vancouver from the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals, where he had 22 points in the regular season and another two goals and six assists in 23 playoff games.
Signing the 32-year-old to a fouryear deal raised some eyebrows, but the team doesn’t have any concerns about Beagle’s play deteriorating, Benning said.
“We just thought he’s going to be excellent with our young kids in a leadership role,” he said.
Beagle, a Calgary native, said on a conference call on Sunday that he wasn’t happy with his production last season and feels he has more to give.
The Canucks finished 2017-18 second-last in the Pacific Division with a 31-40-11 record.
Roussel had five goals and 12 assists in 73 games last season with the Dallas Stars, well down from the 25-plus points he’d tallied in the previous four seasons.
The 28-year-old said he has no doubts that he’ll bounce back.
Benning thinks Roussel will help fill a void left by Dorsett’s retirement. “He’s a passionate player who plays with emotion,” Benning said. “He gives us speed and gets in on the forecheck.”
The 27-year-old Schaller scored a career-high 22 points with 12 goals and 10 assists in 82 games with the Boston Bruins last season.
The Canucks capped the first day of free agency by re-signing left winger Sven Baertschi to a three-year extension worth an average $3.37 million annually.