Pierre-Olivier Joseph Opens up Regarding His Decision to Sign With Vancouver Canucks Despite Blue Line Logjam
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
Defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph opened up recently about his decision to sign with the Vancouver Canucks this summer despite them having a logjam on the blue line.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin was one of the more active executives around the National Hockey League throughout the month of July, completing two notable trades, one of which sent Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as a handful of free agent signings.
Among the players signed by the Vancouver Canucks this summer was former Arizona Coyotes first round pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who inked a one-year deal at the league minimum of $775,000 US.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph opens up on decision to sign with Vancouver Canucks despite logjam on blue line
Adding to the blue line was an afterthought heading into the summer, especially when considering how much depth the Vancouver Canucks have at that position and with the arrival of top prospect Tom Willander, who is going to be pushing for a spot right out of training camp.
Despite the logjam on defense, Pierre-Olivier Joseph told Canucks Army late last week that he believes the Vancouver Canucks were a good fit for him, putting pen-to-paper on a deal just 48 hours after he wasn't issued a qualifying offer by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 26-year-old said that he's going to work really hard during training camp to prove to Adam Foote the rest of the coaching staff that he belongs with the team in the National Hockey League to start the season.
"You want to make the best decision for yourself, and I just thought this was a good fit. When they offer you a contract like that, you can't really argue with them. I just had to say yes. Now it's time for camp, and I want to show them that they made a good choice." Joseph said.
He added, "Training camp is always competitive and just knowing that it's the NHL and the best league in the world, I have to come to camp and show the best I can. I want to show them that I want to be here and that I deserve to be here. There's a lot of good players here, so I'm just trying to keep my head down and focus on that for now."
He added, "Training camp is always competitive and just knowing that it's the NHL and the best league in the world, I have to come to camp and show the best I can. I want to show them that I want to be here and that I deserve to be here. There's a lot of good players here, so I'm just trying to keep my head down and focus on that for now."
Joseph, who had one assist in 17:24 TOI during Sunday's preseason opener against Seattle, will be in tough though during training camp as others like Tom Willander, Victor Mancini and Elias Pettersson are all competing for spots right out of the gate.
If the Laval, Quebec native isn't able to crack the opening night roster, he'll need to be placed on waivers in order to be assigned to the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks.
Previously on CanucksDaily
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