Vancouver Canucks Officially Lose Exclusive Signing Rights to Two Promising Prospects
Photo credit: Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have officially lost the signing rights to a pair of prospects they selected in the National Hockey League's 2021 Entry Draft.
Welcome to June, where it's a big month for all 32 of the National Hockey League's franchises as there are a number of notable dates to keep an eye on, including the Entry Draft on the 27th and 28th.
Another significant day on the NHL's calendar is June 1st as every year on that date, lose the signing rights to prospects in their system that fall into a number of categories, including European players that were drafted in 2021 prior to the age of 20, according to PuckPedia.
After losing the signing rights to Viktor Persson on this date last year, it appears that the Vancouver Canucks are not signing a pair of European prospects, making them unrestricted free agents in North America.
Vancouver Canucks officially lose signing rights to pair of prospects
As was reported in late May, the Vancouver Canucks and General Manager Patrik Allvin only had a little bit of time remaining before they lost the exclusive signing rights to prospects Lucas Forsell and Hugo Gabrielson and that's what'll happen today.
While the deadline to sign Forsell and Gabrielson isn't until 2 pm PT, the Vancouver Canucks will not be signing either prospect today and they'll be continuing their careers overseas in their home nation of Sweden.
Both Lucas Forsell and Hugo Gabrielson are under contract in Sweden for another two years, with the former signing a three-year deal with Farjestad BK (SHL) in January 2024, while the latter put pen-to-paper on a two-year pact with Nybro Vikings IF (HockeyAllsvenskan) in November.
Forsell opened up recently about not signing a contract with the Vancouver Canucks, saying that he's not too shocked or disappointed with the decision and that he's focused on continuing to play with Farjestad.
Note: the following is translated from Swedish.
"I have spoken to my American agent. It didn't come as a shock, and it's not something I'm disappointed about. I will stay here in Färjestad. I haven't really focused on anything over there, but if it comes up, I want to feel like I have the confidence to actually take on a role. I don't want to go over "just because." Forsell said.
"I have spoken to my American agent. It didn't come as a shock, and it's not something I'm disappointed about. I will stay here in Färjestad. I haven't really focused on anything over there, but if it comes up, I want to feel like I have the confidence to actually take on a role. I don't want to go over "just because." Forsell said.
Forsell, 21, appeared in 46 games in the Swedish Hockey League this past season, registering nine points (four goals, five assists), 26 penalty minutes and was a minus-one.
Gabrielson, 22, took a big step forward offensively this season with Nybro as the defenseman tallied 26 points (five goals, 21 assists), along with 38 penalty minutes and was a plus-four in 44 games.
While Forsell and Gabrielson plan on continuing their careers in Sweden for the near future, it'll be interesting to see if any National Hockey League teams come calling in the spring of 2027 when both of their contracts expire.
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