5 worst contracts signed in Vancouver Canucks history feat. Mark Messier’s $18 million deal

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Jul 19, 2024 02:51 GMT

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The Vancouver Canucks have had their fair share of misses on the free-agent market. While that’s true of all clubs, the Canucks, in particular, have signed some questionable deals that still haunt fans.

So, let’s take a look at the five worst contacts signed in Vancouver Canucks history

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Five worst contracts signed n Vancouver Canucks history

#5 Mathieu Schneider

Schneider was a very good defenseman in the NHL for a number of years. He was a member of the 1993 Montreal Canadiens championship team, playing a key role on the blue line. Schneider was also a member of the Detroit Red Wings championship clubs in the early 2000s.

By 2009, he was on the tail end of his career. However, the Vancouver Canucks felt that he could provide veteran leadership and help solidify their blue line. So, the Canucks signed him to a one-year, $1.55 million.

That amount may not sound much by today’s standards. Back then, it was a relatively expensive deal, though, especially for an aging player. Ultimately, the deal was a flop. Schneider only played 17 games in 2009-10. On the bright side, it was just a one-year deal.

#4 Pavol Demitra

Demitra was a very good player for the St. Louis Blues in the late 90s and early 2000s. He showed a strong goal-scoring touch while making several trips to the All-Star game. Demitra also spent time in Los Angeles and Minnesota, putting up strong numbers.

By the 2008 offseason, the Vancouver Canucks tried to make a splash by signing Demitra to a two-year, $8 million contract. Again, it’s worth pointing out it was a considerable deal at the time. In his first year in Vancouver, he put up 20 goals and 53 points in 69 games. It wasn’t bad but disappointing.

In his second year, Demitra flopped, playing 28 games and scoring 16 points. He would not play in the NHL again.

#3 Loui Eriksson

In 2016, the Canucks bet on Loui Eriksson by signing him to a six-year, $36 million deal. He was coming off a career year with the Boston Bruins, scoring 30 goals and totaling 63 points in 82 games. That success convinced Vancouver that he was for real.

In his first year, Eriksson played 65 games, registering 24 points. He would score 29 points in 2018-19, flopping to one point in seven games during the 2020-21 season. He was shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes for the 2021-22 season, where he scored 19 points in 73 games.

This deal goes down as one of the worst in Canucks history, given the dollar value and the lack of performance the team got out of it.

#2 Jay Beagle

Beagle had been a productive player with the Washington Capitals for years, winning a Cup in 2018. That offseason, he signed a four-year $12 million deal. The Vancouver Canucks essentially paid $3 million per season for a bottom-six depth player.

In short, the deal didn’t go well. Beagle played 57 games in his first year, notching up 13 points. That would be his highest point total in Vancouver. He finished his contract in Arizona, playing 33 games in 2021-22, scoring two points.

#1 Mark Messier

The Canucks signed Messier to a three-year $18 million contract in 1997. They had lost the Cup final to Messier and the Rangers three years earlier. As such, the Canucks felt that Messier would provide leadership and structure to a team that needed to get over the hump.

While Messier produced on the scoresheet, he came with a lot of baggage and demands. Most notably, the team stripped Trevor Linden of the captaincy and gave it to Messier, but things didn’t go well for the Canucks.

In 1997-98, the Canucks finished seventh in the Pacific. They finished fourth the next year and third in Messier’s final year but failed to make the playoffs in any of those seasons.

Messier’s contract is considered the worst in Vancouver Canucks’ history, given its value, controversy and the poor outcome it produced.