Canucks sign Michael Ferland to a 4-year deal

The Vancouver Canucks have made another splash on the free agent market.

Today, the team inked forward Michael Ferland to a four-year contract worth $14 million, giving him an average annual value of $3.5 million.

Canucks ink Ferland to four-year, $14M deal. MORE: https://t.co/giO5LkVuBq pic.twitter.com/5PZk2E7kiy

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 10, 2019

Ferland and VAN is 4x3.5

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 10, 2019

Canucks have ~$9.5M in cap space if you account for Schaller in Utica. Take out $3.5M for Ferland & VAN has ~$6M for Boeser.

There is an additional $3M of flexibility with Roussel starting year on LTIR if needed but eventually they'll need to get cap compliant when he's healthy

— Satiar Shah (@SatiarShah) July 10, 2019

Ferland comes to the Canucks after spending a single season with the Carolina Hurricanes, recording 17 goals and 40 points in 71 games.

Prior to that, the Swan River, MB native played four seasons with the Calgary Flames and Canucks fans will remember his coming out party well.

It happened during the 2015 playoffs, when Calgary upset Vancouver in six games to advance to the second round.

A relatively unknown rookie at the time, Ferland was a thorn in the side of the Canucks and was a big reason why the sixth-seeded Flames were able to pull off the upset.

Ferland was a fifth-round pick of the Flames in 2010 and has only made $5.9 million during his five-year NHL career, so the $14-million deal is a life-changing one for him and his family.

With him now on the books, GM Jim Benning will have to find a way to move salary out to accommodate a contract extension for Brock Boeser.

The names believed to be the most likely to move include Loui Eriksson, Brandon Sutter, Sven Baertschi and Chris Tanev.