Vancouver Canucks re-sign Jett Woo to one-year, two-way contract

The Vancouver Canucks are holding on to some valuable depth, signing defender Jett Woo to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $775,000 and $150,000 in the AHL.

The 23-year-old spent the past season in the AHL, taking another big step forward with a career-best 31 points in 62 games with Abbotsford. Of that, his 24 assists is more than any output he has ever had, points-wise, in four career pro hockey seasons. Woo previously set a career-high of 21 points in 68 games the year prior.

A physical defenseman, Woo has yet to suit up for the Canucks, but gives the team some extra defensive depth. At best, he could step into a seventh defenseman role next year. But most likely, he’ll continue to play heavy minutes for Abbotsford, acting as a solid defensive defenseman with the ability to shut down opponents physically.

According to CapFriendly, the Canucks have six NHL defensemen signed to deals, with Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov expected to become unrestricted free agents at 12:00 PM ET on Monday. Other defensive free agents include RFAs Nick Cicek and Filip Johansson, as well as 36-year-old veteran UFA Matt Irwin.

Up front, Elias Lindholm is set to become a UFA on July 1 after a difficult stretch of games following his trade earlier in the winter. The Canucks will also not give AHL forward Aidan McDonough a qualifying offer after previously being one of the top NCAA free agents.

As it stands, general manager Patrik Allvin has $14.54 million in cap space and could look to make a splash after losing out in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team looks to have lost out on the Jake Guentzel sweepstakes after his trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but could still look to make a splash when free agency kicks off tomorrow afternoon.