The NHL continues to quietly drift in the Dog Days of Summer. Sure, there have been a couple interesting signings, with two future superstars agreeing to five-year deals. But otherwise? Not a lot going on with the stuff fans generally care about - the on-ice talent. Still, there are bits and pieces of news trickling out through our now-annual smoky haze.

What Is, Ain't, And Might Be Going On

Start the Clock on PeteyWatch

Elias Pettersson the Forward appeared on the ice in Los Angeles this week, which is nice. Being on the ice in August is expected of most top-end players nowadays, but this is still pretty dang early. No surprise he's doing it away from Vancouver, because could you imagine the circus of bored hockey watchers? Sportsnet may have left town, but Canucks fans haven't.

Hopefully, he's taking his opportunity to rebuild his reputation seriously this year. It could absolutely be the perfect set of conditions for him: zero pressure for the team to succeed, all pressure on him to. He doesn't have to lead squat, he just has to put his head down and play. And no, I don't think there's much of a chance of his being traded before the season starts.

Rue Britannia

The biggest topic of conversation locally is probably still the hope of a practice facility. There was a memorandum of understanding regarding the sheet at Britannia a week ago, and it might already be dead. The problem isn't one of ability or even economics. It's about public relations.

While the former White-Collars were seen touring the facilities way back when, the announcement was still a surprise. Reaction quickly went from "Finally!" to "Oops!" when it was revealed that it would just be a facility, not an additional sheet. And that the team would be claiming prime skating time from the public currently using the ice. And that they hadn't actually considered the effect on the neighbourhood.

Oops!

Hastings Park has also been mentioned as a possible location for creating a new facility with another ice sheet the team can claim as their own. Heck, they'll probably get a lot of benefits from the city no matter where they build - and some good PR if they let the public in on their off days. Handy enough, what with it being a straight shot down Hastings. But I'd love it if they thought bigger.

Over 26 years, the Richmond Night Market has become an institution, but now they're closing up. The lease is up, and there doesn't seem to be any plans to replace it. The space has been empty for ages, and it really should get put to work for the good of the city. There's a lot more space available than an ice sheet and training room would need, should any development partners be interested...

Another Contract, Another Question

We mentioned before the ripple effects of contracts signed by other teams. There was another one to add to the list, especially given the Canucks plans for the near future.

Ville Koivunen is not the sort of player you'd expect to sign an eight-year deal. In fact, I'd be surprised if you had heard of him, unless you were a big Jake Guentzel fan. Koivunen was one of the many players involved in the Guentzel trade, a 20-year-old centre prospect who hadn't reached North America yet.

Koivunen got an eight-game sample in 2024-25, picking up seven assists in just eight games. Great start! The next year, he played 39 NHL games and scored two goals and seven points, with a lot less average ice time. And he didn't play centre either of those years. Obviously a candidate for a maximum term, right? And $4 million per season?

This isn't the first time we've seen lengthy contracts handed out to bottom-six players. Casey Cizikas is on the final year of his six-season deal with the Islanders, and there was never an expectation of his rising through the ranks. The difference is that Cizikas signed when he was a 30-year-old free agent, and he was taking a pay cut from his previous contract.

Koivunen, on the other hand, has played all of 47 NHL games and is just 23 years old. He's put up good numbers in the AHL, but nothing that projects he'll be a star. On the other hand, he's got plenty of room to grow with a team that can see its doom approaching. This wouldn't be a bad guy to have around when Sidney Crosby and Co. are no longer there.

Win or Win

Should Koivunen produce like a middle-six forward during the next eight years, the Penguins can decide what to do with him then. At just $4 million, he'd be an affordable addition to a competing team, and with a guaranteed term, yet. That's a lot to pay for the fourth-line winger he was last year, but it's a perfectly reasonable amount for a middle-sixer. And in three years, it might not be all that much to pay a fourth-liner.

If he slips, or if injuries happen along the way, Koivunen has $32 million in his pocket by the time he's 31 years old. He's getting a $2 million bonus payment to kick off this year and next, just to get himself comfortable in Pittsburgh for now. It doesn't look like there's any trade protection, but even if there were, it wouldn't kick in until 2030-31. That would be well into their Crosbyless Years, so presumably mid-rebuild.

That's a pretty good deal to make for everyone involved - assuming the player doesn't think he's going to be a star. Or if he does, that he's satisfied to wait until he's 30 years old to cash in. Which, given what the salary cap might be by then, could hit a jackpot. Add an additional team or two to the league bidding for talent, and it's not an unlikely scenario.

Things That Make You Sign Here

The Canucks have quite a list of young players they will be counting on in the coming years. Whether they think of signings like this, I don't know. But the temptation is there, isn't it?

Zeev Buium wouldn't go near this, as his ceiling is as a top-pair defender. But Elias Pettersson the Defender? He might stick, he might not, but if he does, it won't be as high as Buium. I'm not entirely sold on Jonathan Lekkerimaki as a first-line producer just yet, but if he agreed to a deal like this, I'm tempted. Same with Liam Öhgren.

There's risk involved with signing any player to a long-term deal, as any Canucks fan knows. One of the larger risks in Vancouver's case is having enough room for younger players to move up when they've earned their shot. If, say, Anthony Romani continues to improve and shows up ready for the NHL in two years, it would be a bit awkward to have a bottom-six full of contracts in his way.

Still, fun to consider who might work out six (or seven, or the last chance for eight) years from now on a contract signed today.