Canucks agree to multi-year deals with Hughes, Pettersson

The Vancouver Canucks locked up two key pieces of their core.

Vancouver agreed to terms with forward Elias Pettersson on a three-year deal worth $7.35 million per season and defenseman Quinn Hughes on a six-year pact worth $7.85 million annually.

The combined cap hit of $15.2 million puts the Canucks nearly $1.5 million over the cap ceiling with a roster size of 22, according to CapFriendly. However, the team can create an additional $3.5 million in space by placing forward Micheal Ferland on long-term injured reserve.

Pettersson, the 2019 Calder Trophy winner, recorded 21 points in 26 games during an injury-plagued 2020-21 campaign. The highly skilled Swede projected to center Vancouver's top line this season.

Hughes, the 2020 Calder runner-up, tallied 41 points in 56 contests last season. He's expected to anchor the Canucks' top defense pairing and quarterback their No. 1 power-play unit in 2021-22.

The Canucks selected Pettersson fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and took Hughes seventh overall a year later.

Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk is the only remaining prominent restricted free agent in the league.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.