Wake With Elias: Canucks sign Swedish prospect & Quinn “Eeyore” Hughes

In five weeks time, the opening of free agency will commence.

Who will be in Vancouver Canuck colours at that point? Will any of the top 50 free agents bring their talents to the West Coast?

Let’s get into that and more in our morning news round-up.

Canucks News

• The Canucks announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed 22-year-old centre Nils Aman to a two-year entry-level contract.

Aman was drafted in his third year of draft eligibility by the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 (sixth round, 167th overall). He became a free agent on June 1st after the Avalanche didn’t sign him.

Guessing they had something better going on, but who knows.

Scouting reports suggest that Aman has a good combination of speed and size, although he’s not a star offensive prospect by any means. He recently posted six goals and 14 assists in 51 games for Leksand of the SHL last season.

Although they’re just a few months apart, that production pales in comparison to current Canucks prospect Linus Karlsson, who just posted 26 goals and 46 points in 52 SHL games last season.

• After going unsigned by the Avalanche, Aman told a Swedish outlet that he’d rather play for Leksand than in the AHL. [Vancouver is Awesome]
• Is trading Tyler Myers possible? Here’s a look at 14 potential destinations. [Canucks Army]
• Finally, this recent Twitter trend included a Canucks-centric bit.

Quinn “Eeyore” Hughes has to be the funniest of the bunch.

And...who knew that Pettersson and Hughes could combine to have a Tyler Myers-esque neck?

Around the NHL

• Surprise surprise, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have erased their 2-0 series deficit to tie the series 2-2, after a 4-1 win on Tuesday night.

• Frank Seravalli just released a list of the top 50 UFAs this offseason. [Daily Faceoff]

Here are five names that catch my eye as potential Canuck additions (starting from #50)

50. Chase Priskie. 26-year-old right-handed defenceman has been buried on Florida’s depth chart.
41. Colin Blackwell. Pretty much in a similar situation to Tyler Motte as a fourth-liner who could command $2+ million. If the money makes sense though, he’d be a great fourth-line centre fit for the Canucks. Has a little more offence to his game than Motte as well.
36. Nicolas Deslauriers. And old-school, physical player, I wonder if he’s a target if Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford think the Canucks need more toughness.
21. Mason Marchment. Most of the big-name targets for the Canucks in free agency are only realistic if a top forward gets traded for futures. If a big name does get shipped out, I like taking a chance on Marchment. He only has one year of consistent production but his underlying numbers are solid, and he was one of the most productive even-strength players in the NHL last season.
5. Kris Letang. The nuclear route...could Letang join his former bosses in Vancouver if he can’t work out a deal in Pittsburgh? Letang and Hughes would be fun...

• Tough break for Seattle Kraken goaltender Chris Driediger, who will miss seven to nine months after tearing his ACL. [Daily Faceoff]
• The Montreal Canadiens have hired one of the best Canadian female hockey players of all time, Marie Philip-Poulin, as a Player Development Consultant. [Eyes on the Prize]
• Let’s end with this awesome clip of the Avalanche before they touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.