Canucks Stanley Cup-winning defenseman set to test free agency this summer

The Vancouver Canucks are set to lose some Stanley Cup experience this summer as veteran defenseman Ian Cole will not be re-signing with the team.

Cole famously won the Stanley Cup back-to-back as part of the legendary Pittsburgh Penguins teams that won in 2016 and 2017. He brought that experience to the Canucks locker room, but it appears as though it did not make up for his on-ice results, which were generally quite bad throughout the playoffs. According to Rick Dhaliwal, Cole will be testing free agency this summer, very likely to sign with another team.

Cole played in 78 regular season games this year with the Canucks, netting two goals and 11 points playing in a top-four role. However, his reputation for taking too many penalties followed him to Vancouver, as he spent 61 minutes in the sin bin this season. He was better in the playoffs, only taking three minor penalties in 13 games, but the rest of his play fell off and he was largely demoted to a third-pair role. As such, he should be relatively easy to replace, and quite possibly on a cheaper deal too.

It will be interesting to see where the 34-year-old veteran ends up next. He is likely coming into the end of his career, so he will have to sign with a contender now if he wants another chance to win the Stanley cup for a third time.

Source: PuckReporterVancouver Canucks officially cut ties with two-time Stanley Cup champion

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