The Vancouver Canucks announced today that winger Markus Granlund has signed a two-year contract extension. The reported cap hit is $900,000.
Granlund, 23, was a pending restricted free agent. He was traded to the Canucks in February, with winger Hunter Shinkaruk going to Calgary in return.
It was a controversial trade in Vancouver, as Canucks fans had been eager to see what Shinkaruk could do at the NHL level.
But for GM Jim Benning, it was Granlund’s versatility that made the difference.
“He is a two-way player that can play in any situation and up and down in our lineup,” Benning told reporters. “He can play left wing, he can play center, he’s a good penalty-killer. He has got good skill. For his time in the [AHL], if you look at his stats, he’s almost a goal every two games player. He has got good skill. We like his competitiveness, he is not afraid to compete hard in battles. Those are some of the things and characteristics we like about the player.”
Granlund had two goals and one assist in 16 games after joining Vancouver.
The Canucks still have a handful of pending RFAs on the payroll, including Sven Baertschi, Emerson Etem, Linden Vey, and Andrey Pedan.