Canucks: Tyler Graovac signs KHL contract

The Vancouver Canucks have lost another player on their roster for next season.

On Monday morning, it was reported that forward Tyler Graovac signed a new one-year deal to join Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

It’s been an interesting road for Graovac up until now.

The Brampton, Ontario native was originally drafted 191st overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to be drafted, he played two seasons in the OHL for the Ottawa 67s, where he registered 12 goals and 18 assists in 118 games.

Graovac returned to the 67s for the 2011-12 season, posting 27 points in 50 regular season games, as well as 10 points in 18 playoff games. His most productive year came during 2012-13 campaign, when he registered 35 points in 30 games before being traded to the Belleville Bulls at the deadline. He continued producing at over a point-per-game pace, and was even able to put up three extra points than he did in Ottawa in the same amount of games. Graovac also registered six goals and 16 assists in 15 playoff games with the Bulls.

He was named to the OHL All-Star team for two consecutive seasons.

Graovac made his NHL debut with Minnesota on December 29th, 2014 against the Winnipeg Jets. However, he ended up spending most of the season with Minnesota’s affiliate team, the Iowa Wild. This continued into the 2015-16 season, with Graovac only suiting up for two NHL games.

He turned things around the following year, registering seven goals and two assists in 52 games, but that was too late. Graovac was dealt to the Washington Capitals during the 2017 offseason, but he never found his groove there, either, going pointless in five games before being reassigned to the Hershey Bears.

He continued his AHL journey the following year, playing exclusively for the Stockton Heat, the affiliate club of the Calgary Flames. Graovac put up good offensive numbers with the team, registering 24 goals and 26 points in 60 games, but never cracked the Calgary line-up. He would eventually sign with the Canucks during the 2019 offseason.

As expected, Graovac definitely had his ups and downs in Vancouver.

The former fifth round pick was initially assigned to the Utica Comets following the 2019-20 training camp, but managed to land a roster spot in mid-November. He was utilized as a bottom-six centre, and managed to score two goals in eight games before suffering a lower-body injury.

The Canucks still re-signed Graovac to another one-year deal for 2020-21, but he delivered more or less the same value and production. Of course, like many other players, Graovac didn’t play at all at the beginning of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications on a handful of junior leagues. He was eventually loaned to the Manitoba Moose in February for a small nine-game stint before returning to Vancouver for what would eventually become his last 14 games with the club.

He registered one goal and three assists, for a NHL career total of 12 goals and three assists in 84 games.

The 28-year-old always had trouble solidifying a role for himself on an NHL club, but appeared to be on the right track in his last year with Vancouver. Graovac played well at the 4C position at the end of the regular season, and was arguably one of the better call-ups for head coach Travis Green during that span. Factor in the departure of Beagle, as well as Brandon Sutter’s disappointing contract officially coming to an end, and most people thought that Graovac would’ve been brought back as a cheap, sturdy, short-term fourth-line option for the team.

If not that, he could’ve at least been someone that could’ve contended for the position in training camp while also providing forward depth throughout the year, something that this team has desperately lacked as of late.

As a result, the Canucks will have to go back to the drawing board to find their fourth and final centre for the 2021-22 season. For Graovac, he’s hoping to secure more responsibilities and ice time with his new Russian club, and will likely have landed himself a raise from his previous $700,000 AAV.

Fortunately, the Canucks can start shopping for some depth forwards very soon. Free agency is set to open on July 28th at 9am PST.

What are your thoughts on Graovac signing in the KHL? Let us know in the comments!