Teddy Blueger signed a two-year, $3.6 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $1.8 million.
"I think it's a great team with great players, and we have a chance to win," Blueger said. "That was another key factor, and on top of all that, we love the city. It's a great city. And then obviously, when the team was doing well, especially in the playoffs, it was such a special and unique atmosphere. There's not a lot of places that you're going to get that in terms of hockey and passion that the fans and the city brought. So, I think an opportunity to kind of build off that and an opportunity to win in a place like that is something special.”
The 29-year-old forward tied his NHL career high with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 68 games this season, his first with Vancouver after signing a one-year, $1.9 million contract on July 1, 2023. He also had two assists in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“There was obviously a 2-3 month stretch where I was probably playing the most consistent, best hockey of my career, especially offensively," Blueger said. "I obviously didn’t maintain that the whole year, so that's an area for sure that that can be improved among some others. But playing with different guys, in different spots in the lineup, different situations ... being a part of that, bringing different elements, those are some important parts of my game for me.”
Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 52) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Blueger has 126 points (41 goals, 85 assists) in 336 regular-season games with the Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Canucks. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in 37 playoff games, including helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023.
“Teddy was a key addition to our team last year and we are really excited to have him back for a couple more seasons,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. “His versatility and experience really helped our group in both the regular season and playoffs. He is a strong leader and someone we will count on a lot more moving forward.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report.
