Massive Addition: Canucks Closing In On Agreement To Sign Experienced 6-foot-7, 226-pound In Free Agency

Former Edmonton Oiler, who played in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs, inks two-year deal with a cap hit of $2 million per season.

Can we say the Vancouver Canucks have replaced 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenceman Nikita Zadorov with 6-foot-7, 226-pound defenceman Vincent Desharnais?

The Canucks announced Monday afternoon, following the first wave of free agency, that they had signed Desharnais, 28, to a two-year contract with a cap hit of $2 million per season. He spent the previous two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, having a cap hit of $762,500.

According to sources, Vancouver attempted to negotiate a contract extension with Zadorov, a midseason acquisition from the Calgary Flames who excelled in the playoffs, particularly against the Oilers and Desharnais in round two.

Vancouver and Zadorov, 29, were unable to reach an agreement, prompting general manager Patrik Allvin to announce Zadorov’s free agency on Friday. On Monday, he signed a six-year contract with the Boston Bruins, which includes a $6 million cap hit per season.

Desharnais has one goal, 11 points, and a plus-three rating in 78 regular-season games with the Oilers this season, averaging over 16 minutes. He played 17:14 of ice time in 16 postseason games with Edmonton, recording one assist and a minus-nine rating. He was classified as a healthy scratch at times during the postseason, appearing in just one game against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

His playoff ice time featured an average of 2:57 of penalty kill time per game, the Oilers’ highest average in the playoffs. During the regular season, he averaged 2:02 of PK time, which tied him for the Oilers’ third-highest average.

The Canucks, led by Allvin and coach Rick Tocchet, want big, rangy defensemen.

Desharnais is from Laval, Quebec, although he played in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs in 2014-15 before moving on to Providence College for four years. The Oilers selected him in the seventh round of the 2016 draft.

Zadorov averaged 17:04 of ice time in the regular season for Vancouver, including 1:33 of PK. In the playoffs, his ice time average was 20:09, with 2:08 on the PK. He was sixth among Vancouver rearguards in ice time per game in the regular season but jumped to third in the playoffs.