The Loui Eriksson contract is an albatross around the neck of Jim Benning. It’s a deal that somehow gets worse every time you look at it.
The money and term immediately stand out as a problem — $6 million per year for six years for a third-line winger — but the structure of the deal makes it essentially impossible to buy out. The vast majority of his contract is in signing bonuses, which are guaranteed and not considered part of a buyout. If, say, the Canucks wanted to buy out Eriksson this summer, he would still carry a $5.5 million cap hit for the next three seasons and a $3.5 million the season after that.
On top of that, Eriksson’s contract comes with a no-move clause in the first two years, a no-trade clause in the following two, and a modified no-trade clause in the final two years of the deal. In case there was a team willing to take on the contract, Eriksson could nix the deal.
That means Eriksson is likely sticking with the Canucks through the 2021-22 season. Assuming Elias Pettersson and Adam Gaudette sign three-year entry-level contracts this summer, they’ll both be due for a new contract heading into the 2021-22 season, as will Jonathan Dahlen and Olli Juolevi. Sven Baertschi and Troy Stecher need new contracts this summer, while Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko will need to be re-signed next summer.
Depending on whether Benning spends big in free agency within the next few years, Eriksson’s contract might not get the Canucks in salary cap trouble, but it may limit what the Canucks can do.
That’s Loui Eriksson’s contract.
Loui Eriksson as a player and a person is something else entirely. Regrettably, Eriksson the player and person has suffered a fractured rib and will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season.
Eriksson sustained the injury on February 25th against the Arizona Coyotes when he was hit hard by Max Domi behind the Coyotes net. He finishes his season with 10 goals and 23 points in 50 games.
While he’ll never live up to his contract, Eriksson is still a useful player: a defensively-responsible, two-way winger capable of matching up against tough opposition at even-strength and killing penalties while shorthanded. At times this season, he even re-found his scoring touch while playing with the Sedins for a brief period, but has spent more time on a checking line with Brandon Sutter of late.
It’s a tough break for Eriksson, but it does provide an opportunity for the Canucks to give some of their younger players more ice time, including on the penalty kill and power play. Eriksson has averaged 2:17 per game on the penalty kill and 1:24 per game with the man advantage.
With neither Eriksson nor Thomas Vanek as options to play with the Sedins and on the power play, the likes of Nikolay Goldobin will get a bigger offensive opportunity, while newcomer Tyler Motte will get a chance to prove himself on the penalty kill.
