As the Vancouver Canucks head toward the 2026-27 season, a rebuild changes the way every contract gets judged. The question is no longer just who is producing, but which deals still leave room to breathe now and later. On that front, three contracts stand out.
Marco Rossi is the easiest place to start. The Canucks are only paying him $5 million per season on a three-year, $15 million deal he signed in August 2025, and that looks especially sharp considering what he already delivered after arriving last season in the Quinn Hughes trade.
In 33 games, Rossi posted eight goals and 22 points, good for 11th on the Canucks in scoring and just two points behind ninth. He also finished only one point behind Hughes, who had 23 points in 26 games before going to the Wild.
At 24, Rossi still has plenty of runway, and with restricted free agency waiting after the 2027-28 season, this current AAV looks like a bargain for Vancouver.
Filip Hronek belongs in the same conversation, only with even more proof behind it. The defenseman is entering the third season of his eight-year, $58 million contract, which carries a $7.25 million annual hit, and he has played far above that number.
In 2025-26, Hronek finished second on the team in points with 49 and led the Canucks with 41 assists. Over the last three seasons in Vancouver, he has piled up 18 goals, 112 assists and 130 points in 224 games.
Add in 100 blocked shots and 133 hits, and the value becomes even clearer. He has put up 43 assists and 48 points in 2023-24, then 41 assists and 49 points in 2024-25, and the production says he is performing like a player who should be making around $9 million or more per year.
As the Canucks’ highest-paid defenseman, he has earned that spot.
Jamie Oleksiak rounds out the list, and his inclusion may surprise some. Still, a two-year, $10 million deal that pays him $5 million annually is solid business for Vancouver.
Last season, Oleksiak recorded five goals and 15 points in 78 games while averaging 16:56 of ice time. He also finished with 106 blocked shots and 112 hits.
At 6'7 and 251 pounds, he gives the Canucks the kind of stay-at-home presence they were missing on the blue line, and his arrival could help free up Tom Williander. With the defense needing more stability and balance, Oleksiak looks like a low-risk move with a chance to pay off over the next couple of seasons.
For a team in the middle of a rebuild, these are the kinds of contracts that matter: manageable, productive, and flexible enough to keep the future intact.
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Canucks Just Added Goalie Insurance As Demko Questions Keep Lingering
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Driedger arrives with experience that gives the club another steady option to evaluate, including a career NHL save percentage of .917 and more recent stops in the AHL and KHL. For a team that has spent plenty of time managing uncertainty in goal, the tryout is less about headlines than it is about making sure there is enough depth in place before camp decisions start to tighten. [Read more 🡒]