Pavol Demitra has spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Wild. (Jim Mone/Associated Press)Unrestricted free agent Pavol Demitra has signed with the Vancouver Canucks, the club announced on Thursday.
Demitra, 33, spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Wild. He recorded 15 goals and 39 assists in 68 games the past season.
The right-winger has signed a two-year deal for a total of $8 million US. He earned $4.5 million last season.
"There was a lot of interest throughout the league, but Pavol is comfortable with the direction Vancouver is taking on the ice and the vision [Canucks general manager] Mike Gillis has for the future," said Matt Keator, Demitra's agent.
"He feels that his family will be happy, that he will enjoy playing for the Canucks and will hopefully be taking a run at the Stanley Cup."
Demitra has scored 281 goals and 418 assists in 750 NHL regular season games played, with stops also in St. Louis, Los Angeles and Ottawa. The Senators drafted the forward in the ninth round of the 1993 draft.
"Throughout his NHL career, Pavol has proven himself to be an offensive contributor wherever he has played," Gillis said in a statement. "Pavol is a strong two-way hockey player with excellent quickness and finish. His play-making abilities will be an asset on our power-play and make him a great addition to our top six forwards."
Demitra looking forward to reuniting with Gillis
After losing captain Markus Naslund and second-line centre Brendan Morrison to free agency earlier this week, the goal-challenged Canucks need Demitra to find the form that produced at least 35 goals three times over eight seasons with St. Louis. He had a career-high 93 points in 2002-03.
Demitra's interest in the Canucks was based on his desire to play in a hockey-crazed market, to join a team with a top-notch goalie such as Roberto Luongo and to reunite with Gillis, his former agent.
"We became very close friends, and I always like to play hockey for a guy like that, Demitra said on a call from his native Slovakia. "I know exactly what he's looking for."
Demitra achieved his greatest success in the first part of the decade, with the St. Louis Blues. He recorded 70 or more points in four seasons, topped by a career-best 57 assists and 93 points in 2002-03.
He has represented Slovakia at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics.
Injuries have been a factor in recent years for Demitra. He has missed a total of 49 games over the last three seasons.
The Canucks are in the midst of a revamp after the departure of another former captain, Trevor Linden, as well as Brendan Morrison. In the last two weeks, Vancouver has also added Kyle Wellwood and Steve Bernier to their pool of forwards.
Gillis also signed defenceman Rob Davison, another former client, to a one-year deal worth $560,000 on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Davison had one goal and one assist while splitting 34 games between San Jose and the New York Islanders last season, but with 195 NHL games and 270 penalty minutes, the 6-foot-3 defender wasn't signed to score.
"He's a tough, physical defenceman," Gillis said. "When you play tough teams in the West, you need players that can meet that challenge, and Rob is clearly one of those guys."
