The Canuck Way
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Former Canucks who are still UFAs

By Brogan Houston

CALGARY, AB - JANUARY 29: Tyler Motte #64 of the Vancouver Canucks in action against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on January 29, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Flames defeated the Canucks 1-0 in overtime. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - JANUARY 29: Tyler Motte #64 of the Vancouver Canucks in action against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on January 29, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Flames defeated the Canucks 1-0 in overtime. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /
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#3 — Travis Green

Travis Green. Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Travis Green. Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports /

Alright, he’s not exactly a UFA, but Travis Green is a free agent in the coaching market, so we’ll include him on this list.

Aside from the 2021-22 season, Green had a successful run as the head coach of the Canucks. He orchestrated their playoff run in the 2020 bubble and he earned a two-year contract extension the year after that. It’s unfortunate that things ended poorly for him in Vancouver, but most see his last season as an anomaly to an otherwise solid coaching resume.

Unfortunately for Green, the coaching market was flooded with qualified individuals this year and all the jobs were snatched up quickly. He spoke to a number of teams in the off-season, including the Dallas Stars. But for whatever reason, he didn’t end up with a job.

Green hasn’t explicitly released his plans for this off-season, but he will likely take a break, re-group, and attempt to secure another coaching job next season.

#2 — Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel

Yes, these are three separate players, but they have been lumped into the same category for some time now. They’ll likely face similar fates this year, so we’ll keep them in the same category for the purposes of this article.

The $12 million that the Canucks spent on Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel this year bought the Arizona Coyotes 29 points. The Coyotes needed players to fill out their roster so they traded Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who also has a massive contract) and Conor Garland for them. These three guys did exactly that — and nothing else.

Eriksson is 37 years old, Beagle is 36, and Roussel is 32. They’re not exactly promising young rookies anymore, and they haven’t contributed anything significant to their teams in a number of years. Additionally, Beagle and Roussel have both missed significant portions of the last few seasons due to injuries. It’s likely that all three players retire from professional hockey this year. However, another option for them is Europe.

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