Vancouver Canucks re-sign superstar defenseman Kevin Bieksa to a 5-year $23 million deal –NHL Update
In light of defenseman Kevin Bieksa’s performance for Vancouver Canucks during the past regular season and playoffs, the 2011 Stanley Cup finalists were bound to re-sign him and did on Monday as they announced to agreeing to a five-year, $23 million contract
with the 30-year-old.
It was by the end of the Stanley Cup Finals that Kevin Bieksa expressed his interest to remain with the 2010-2011 National Hockey League’s (NHL) top team and not try and find a better deal anywhere else since he was becoming a free agent on July 1.
“I'm not a money guy”, Bieksa said in his June 17 press conference in Vancouver after the postseason had ended. “I know about money, I understand its value, but it's not my main priority. I think everybody takes less to play here. It's such a great organization
that you want to be here. So if you want to be here, you have to take less, that's just the culture”.
The Canadian native from Ontario made $3.5 million last year and from now on according to the new contract will have an annual salary cap hit at $4.6 million with a no-trade clause in his new contract.
Bieksa was drafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks as the 151st overall during the fifth round.
He has now played six seasons with them and sometimes plays with his original minor league team, Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL), which was also Vancouver’s farm club.
This move allowed Vancouver to cross off Bieksa from the defenseman left to sign as Christian Ehrhoff, veteran Sami Salo and Andrew Alberts still remain to be negotiated with before the free agency begins on Friday.
“I don't see us being as busy as last year but we're certainly going to be active talking and we'll certainly be looking around”, assistant general manager Lorne Henning said Monday after the deal.
Vancouver has its eyes still set on the Stanley Cup and its thirst is growing day by day. These moves will allow Canucks to retain players that led them to the finals last time and have the next finals as their goal.
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