Canucks agree to multi-year deals with Hughes, Pettersson

The Vancouver Canucks locked up two key pieces of their core.

Vancouver agreed to terms with forward Elias Pettersson on a three-year deal worth $7.35 million per season and defenseman Quinn Hughes on a six-year pact worth $7.85 million annually.

The combined cap hit of $15.2 million puts the Canucks nearly $1.5 million over the cap ceiling with a roster size of 22, according to CapFriendly. However, the team can create an additional $3.5 million in space by placing forward Micheal Ferland on long-term injured reserve.

Pettersson, the 2019 Calder Trophy winner, recorded 21 points in 26 games during an injury-plagued 2020-21 campaign. The highly skilled Swede projected to center Vancouver's top line this season.

Hughes, the 2020 Calder runner-up, tallied 41 points in 56 contests last season. He's expected to anchor the Canucks' top defense pairing and quarterback their No. 1 power-play unit in 2021-22.

The Canucks selected Pettersson fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and took Hughes seventh overall a year later.

Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk is the only remaining prominent restricted free agent in the league.