On Thursday, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that the club has agreed to terms with forward Linus Karlsson and defenseman Cole McWard on one-year contracts.
Both contracts will be two-way and will run through the 2024-25 season.
Karlsson played in four regular-season games for the Canucks in 2023-24. After making his NHL debut on Nov. 16, the 24-year-old did not record a point in four games. He made his playoff debut and finished minus-1 in two Stanley Cup Playoff games in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers. He has not yet scored his first NHL goal.
Karlsson was excellent in the American Hockey League, recording a career-high 60 points (23 goals, 23 assists) and a plus-9 rating in 60 games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season. He added two goals in nine playoff games.
The Swedish center was originally drafted in the third round (No. 87) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to Vancouver in exchange for forward Jonathan Dahlen on Feb. 25, 2019.
McWard has played a total of six career NHL games with Vancouver over the past two seasons. In 2022-23, he played in five games, scoring his first career goal in only his second game. He was held off the scoresheet with one shot in his lone NHL game last season against the Anaheim Ducks.
In the AHL, the 23-year-old tallied 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) and a plus-5 rating in 57 games for Abbotsford. He recorded one assist in six AHL playoff games.
The Fenton, Missouri native was originally undrafted. After recording 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 75 games over two seasons with Ohio State (NCAA), he signed a two-year deal with Vancouver as a free agent on April 4, 2023.
