Vancouver Canucks News & Rumours: Cotter, Johnson, Free Agency & the Waiver Wire? – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks don’t have a lot left to do before training camp, but that doesn’t mean general manager Ryan Johnson is finished. August is usually the quiet part of the NHL calendar, although things can change quickly as teams start seeing their players on the ice and figure out what they actually have.

Two things are worth watching in Vancouver right now. One is what Paul Cotter‘s first experience with free agency tells us about the player the Canucks have added. The other is a little less obvious: whether finishing last in the NHL could allow Vancouver to add another player when the waiver wire starts getting busy.

Paul Cotter Reveals the Reality of Free Agency

Paul Cotter’s first experience with NHL free agency wasn’t quite what he expected. After the New Jersey Devils decided not to give him a qualifying offer in June, the 27-year-old suddenly found himself looking for a new organization despite having played 296 NHL games.

Cotter admitted to The Hockey News that he was surprised by the decision and that even his agent was caught off guard. Then came the difficult part: figuring out where to go next. Free agency can look glamorous from the outside, but Cotter described it as a stressful process with plenty of uncertainty and more than a little blind faith.

Vancouver quickly showed serious interest, and that helped make the decision easier. Cotter signed a one-year, $2.15-million contract with the organization on the opening day of free agency, believing they offered the best chance to establish himself as an important veteran piece. His offensive numbers dipped last season, when he scored nine goals and 15 points in 79 games, but the Canucks see value in a player who brings size, energy and experience to a rebuilding lineup. For Cotter, the appeal was less about finding the perfect destination and more about finding a place that genuinely wanted him.

That may be the most interesting part of his story. He admitted other teams also offered attractive possibilities, which made the decision anything but easy. In the end, Vancouver won him over because they made it clear they saw a role for him and believed he could be an important part of what they’re building.

After being told by one organization that his services were no longer required, Cotter suddenly had to decide which team would give him the best opportunity. That’s the less glamorous side of free agency, and it makes his one-year deal a little more significant than it might look on the surface.

Could Finishing Last Actually Help Vancouver?

Finishing last in the NHL is not something a team wants to advertise. But for the Canucks, there is one little consolation that comes with having finished at the bottom of the standings last season. When training camps open, and teams start discovering that their rosters don’t quite fit the way they thought they would, Vancouver will be first in line on the waiver wire.

That could make the next few weeks a little more interesting than they otherwise might be. Johnson may or may not be looking to add another player before the season begins, but if someone interesting gets squeezed out somewhere else, the Canucks will have a pretty good chance to take a look.

And this is where the waiver wire can get fun. Every September, somebody has a terrific camp and suddenly becomes difficult to send down. Somebody else gets pushed out because a team has too many forwards or too many defencemen. Injuries happen, surprise performances happen, and plans that looked perfectly sensible in July don’t look quite so sensible a month later.

Vancouver doesn’t have to go hunting for any of that. They can sit back and watch, knowing that finishing last gives them priority when players are placed on waivers. If somebody they like shows up, they can pounce before most of the league gets a chance. A couple of possibilities include Matthew Poitras from the Boston Bruins and Kevin Korchinski from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Of course, there is a reason the Canucks finished last. Nobody wants to celebrate that. But every once in a while, something that wasn’t much fun at the time gives you a small benefit later. This could be one of those times. Maybe Johnson has another move in mind. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, Vancouver would be wise to have somebody watching the waiver wire very closely when training camps get underway. You never know what might fall out of it—and for once, finishing last means they get first crack at whatever does.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

For now, the Canucks have a little time to see how everything fits. Cotter is hoping a change of scenery can turn into a bigger opportunity, while Johnson has the luxury of knowing that his roster doesn’t necessarily have to be finished today.

That may be the best part about August. The big moves have mostly been made, but the little ones can still matter. A player who gets squeezed out somewhere else, or a player who simply needs somebody to believe in him, could still end up becoming part of the Canucks’ next chapter.