The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Sam Gagner and defenseman Michael Del Zotto to three-year contracts, the team announced Saturday.
Gagner's deal carries an average annual value of $3.15 million, while Del Zotto's contract has an AAV of $3 million.
Gagner, 27, signed a one-year "show-me" contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for $650,000 last offseason, and he sure did show them. His 18 goals and 32 assists made him one of the top bargains in all of hockey.
"Sam is a hardworking, right shot [center] with good speed and skill," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. "He brings tremendous experience to our team and will set a good example for our younger players."
Gagner needed last year's bounce-back season. The former first-round pick had gone from making $4.8 million per season for Edmonton to being traded three times in a year, and in 2015-16 even spending some time in the AHL.
That season he scored only eight goals and added eight assists for the Flyers in 53 games. Columbus snatched him up, and he helped the Jackets to a franchise-best 108-point season.
Del Zotto, 26, had an up-and-down NHL career. He made the All-Rookie first team as a 19-year-old with the New York Rangers, but he fell out of favor after a few years and ended up in Nashville.
After part of one season with the Predators, he signed a one-year deal with the Flyers, and during the 2014-15 season, he put up 10 goals and 22 assists. That was good enough to earn a two-year contract with a cap hit of $3.875 million per season.
But again, injuries and ineffectiveness led to a decline in his numbers, and last season he saw time as a healthy scratch.
