Following a dismal 2016-17 regular season that saw them finish 29th in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks knew that it wasn’t logical to chase big-named free agents on Canada Day.
But not wanting to just sit back entirely, general manager Jim Benning chose to find a number of bang-for-your buck players who could fill up the holes in the roster without having to commit a lot of dollars.
When all was said and done, Benning signed forwards Sam Gagner and Alexander Burmistrov, defencemen Michael Del Zotto and Patrick Wiercioch, and backup goalie Anders Nilsson.