Canucks' Tanner Pearson Trending Toward UFA Status

The Vancouver Canucks have yet to offer Tanner Pearson a contract for next season, according to Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 Vancouver, meaning the forward could hit the open market this off-season as an unrestricted free agent.

Before a lower-body injury last week that put him out of the lineup until at least April 19, Pearson had six goals, 11 points in 33 games played this season. Since coming over to the Canucks from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pearson has scored 36 goals and put up 68 points in 121 games. His 45 points in 2019-20 were a career-best.

For those asking, as of this morning, the Canucks have not made an offer to UFA Tanner Pearson.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) March 26, 2021

If the Canucks do allow the forward to hit free agency, he will garner interest. General manager Jim Benning could still try to trade Pearson, but his injury and the need to quarantine could hinder interested teams in making a deal for the forward when they could just wait for him to be available this summer. Indications are the Canucks will not offer him a new deal.

Earlier in the season, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported interest in Pearson from the Arizona Coyotes. Others have tied him to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in speculative pieces.

Pearson appears on both TSN and The Athletic's trade bait lists. His cap hit this past year came in at $3.75M. His remaining cap hit for this year as of today sits at $1.39M. His daily cap hit is around $32K.

Before playing for the Canucks, Pearson was with the Los Angeles Kings and the Penguins. He was selected 30th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by L.A.