Sbisa and Dorsett sign new contracts
BIG PAYDAY: Defenceman inked for three years and $10.8m, gritty forward gets $10.6m over four years
Luca Sbisa could have his own reality show. Derek Dorsett is a reality show. Sbisa’s affection for Vancouver started at the 2010 Olympics when the defenceman suited up for Switzerland, met his fiancée, Lauren, and joked that it “would be kind of cool” to play in this city at the NHL level. On Wednesday, the latest episode in his “great journey” was a handsome three-year, $10.8-million contract extension.
It was the same day forward Derek Dorsett received a generous fouryear, $10.6-million extension for never straying from being a seventhround draft choice with a chip on his shoulder and grit in his game. For everything the resilient 28-year-old Dorsett brings to the Canucks as a consistent grinder and scrapper who is willing mentor to younger players, it was a slam-dunk that the potential unrestricted free agent would be rewarded with term to carry on in those capacities. Neither player has a no-trade clause.
With Sbisa, it’s about potential. There wasn’t a considerable recent body of work for general manager Jim Benning to draw upon because the potential 25-year-old restricted free agent was injured twice last season with the Anaheim Ducks and played just 30 games before being packaged in the Ryan Kesler swap. And aside from early growing pains here — and a penchant for turnovers — Sbisa is second on the club in hits (149), second in blocked shots (127) and fifth in giveaways (41) behind Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Chris Tanev and Dan Hamhuis.
“In this division, L.A., San Jose and Anaheim are big, heavy teams and he plays his best in those heavy games,” Benning said of Sbisa. “He separates forwards from puck and has the strength. And we burned two years of him being a UFA. I feel it’s a good deal for him and the team. He’s kind of an old, throwback defenceman and he’s showing more confidence with the puck skating out of his zone and is making good decisions with the puck. He’s getting good confidence.”
Sbisa has just three goals and 11 points and is now part of a core that’s becoming younger after Tanev, 25, signed a five-year, $22.25-million extension March 24. Yannick Weber, 26, Ryan Stanton, 25, Adam Clendening, 22, and Frank Corrado, 22, are RFAs. Sbisa will earn $3.2m, $3.6m and $4m annually, and management’s faith isn’t lost on him.
“Signing a three-year deal is huge,” said Sbisa, who’s earning $2.9 million this season. “Coming into this year I had a lot of question marks, and joining a new team you really don’t know what to expect. But from Day 1, I was really excited. We talked two months ago briefly and I was open to anything, even if it (negotiations) went into the summer. It’s a little bit of stability and confidence and as the season went on, I started to play better and found my identity.”
Dorsett has never had to search for an identity. What you see is what you get, and whether hurt or not, his level of passion on the ice and willingness to help change the club’s culture off it, resonated with the Benning and Dorsett’s former junior coach Willie Desjardins. If Sbisa is old school, then Dorsett is from the oldest school. He’s all blood, sweat and guts with 17 fights — two behind league-leader Cody McLeod of Colorado — and 169 penalty minutes that rank fourth in the NHL. But Dorsett ranks first with his teammates for doing anything to win and anything to help those new to The Show. And like Sbisa, the Canucks are paying a premium in hopes of lasting longterm results. Dorsett has seven goals and 25 points and is earning $2 million this season.
“He has the heart of a lion,” Benning said.
“He’s a total team player, a selfless guy who does whatever the team asks of him. Young players are going to make our team and we want them rubbing elbows with Derek Dorsett. On a day-to-day basis, his culture of hard work and all the things he stands for is what we stand for. He wants to make others around him better.”
Added Desjardins: “Everybody knows when he’s on the ice; your back is covered. He’ll always come to your aid and players appreciate that.”
Dorsett hinted earlier in the day that contract talks were progressing and that he wasn’t looking to move.
“Obviously, we want to stay here and my family likes it here,” he said. “With all the history here and the leadership group and with the year they had last year (missing the playoffs), there are still a lot of guys from when they won the President’s Trophy (2010-11, 2011-12). I just think they’ve done a good job of managing the team and we’ve got a lot of depth.”
OF NOTE — Benning said there have been contract discussions with UFAs Shawn Matthias and Brad Richardson but nothing is imminent.