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Fundraisers, wedding season and ex-Canucks: Where Are They Now?

July 9, 2018, 2:20 PM ET [886 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It's golf tournament season around the NHL. Port Moody boys Ryan and Lucas Johansen are hosting their event on Tuesday at Swan-e-Set, with proceeds to the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation.




How time flies! The fourth-overall pick by Columbus in 2010, Ryan turns 26 at the end of this month. He has already logged 512 regular-season NHL games and his production improves in the playoffs, where he has 41 points in 47 games.

Lucas is a defenseman who was drafted in the first round by Washington in 2016. He turns 21 in November and spent last season with the AHL Hershey Bears.

The autograph session is aimed at kids, and the Johansens are hoping to recruit some other local NHLers for the signing as well as themselves. It starts at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to run for an hour.

It's also wedding season, and a couple of ex-Canucks have recently tied the knot:

Zack Kassian was all class at Lake Como, Italy.

Life is just beginning. The best day with the best people! #married

A post shared by Zack Kassian (@zkass09) on



He took time out from his honeymoon in Greece to sneak in some serious cardio.

Stairway to heaven 🇬🇷 #greece

A post shared by Zack Kassian (@zkass09) on



This is great to see. He looks super happy and healthy—good on him for turning his life around.

At the AHL level, a group that included Thatcher Demko, Jayson Megna, Jaime Sifers and Michael Carcone toasted Griffen Molino and his new bride.



Molino has moved on to the Toronto Marlies after he didn't receive a new contract from the Canucks. The Marlies also inked Erik's younger brother Alex Gudbranson, while the parent Toronto Maple Leafs signed ex-Canucks Jordan Subban (two-way contract) and Adam Cracknell (one-way contract).

As for Megna, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with Washington on July 1. Sifers, Carcone and Demko will all be back in Utica next year.

While I'm on the topic, here's a quick look at where some other ex-Canucks have (or haven't) landed since July 1.

From the 2017-18 team—including some of the higher-profile Comets:

(With all their injuries, the Canucks used 34 different skaters last season; the Comets used 58!!)

• Thomas Vanek - one-year deal with Detroit for $3 million, with a full no-trade clause
• Jussi Jokinen - still available
• Darren Archibald - signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks on July 3, which will pay him $650,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the AHL level
• Nic Dowd - signed a one-year, one-way contract with Washington for $650,000
• Philip Holm - RFA with Vegas, has not yet signed a new deal
• Michael Chaput - signed a two-year, two-way contract with Montreal with an AAV of $675,000 at the NHL level and a guaranteed salary of $325,000 at the AHL level
• Anton Rodin - signed a one-year, one-way contract with Anaheim for $750,000
• Patrick Wiercioch - signed today with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL
• Andrey Pedan - signed with Ak Bars of he KHL
• Cole Cassels - still available

After seeing the Sedins and Alex Burrows announce their retirements this year, some other players from that 2011 roster may also be getting close to the end of the line. Jannik Hansen, Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa are all currently UFAs who haven't come to terms on new contracts. Note from 2011—after landing in Vegas, Luca Sbisa and Jason Garrison are also still awaiting their next deals.

Also, there's talk that Ryan Kesler is being encouraged to sit out the season in favour of doing more rehab on his hip.

Kesler says he's not contemplating retirement. Neither is Roberto Luongo, who was limited to just 35 games last season but finished strong after coming back from a couple of injuries. Luongo turns 40 in April and is down to just four more years on that massive 12-year contract he signed with the Canucks in 2009.

I'm no longer worried about the cap recapture issue that has occasionally raised our heart rates over the years. We have seen this become an issue exactly NEVER since it was introduced in the 2012-13 CBA. Every player who can't fulfill his long, back-diving contract has gone out on long-term injured reserve, with no penalties. Luongo's health is starting to become an issue—but he's also making it clear that he's going to play as long as he can. If he quits, it's because his body can't handle the strain anymore. He seems so determined to keep playing, I'm not discounting the possibility that he might actually make it right through to the end!
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