Canucks add Johnson, re-sign Sanford

After trying to make a pair of bold acquisitions on the opening day of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks made some minor roster moves on Wednesday.

The Canucks dipped into the free agent pool and signed forward Ryan Johnson and re-signed backup goaltender Curtis Sanford.

Johnson, 32, scored five goals and added 13 assists for the St. Louis Blues last season. In 547 NHL games with the Blues, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, the native of Thunder Bay, Ont., has 34 goals and 68 assists (102 points). The six-foot-one-inch, 185-pound centre was taken 36th overall by the Panthers in the 1994 draft.

Sanford, 28, served as the backup to starter Roberto Luongo in 2007-08, his first season with the Canucks. Sanford, from Owen Sound, Ont., played in 16 games last season and posted a 4-3-1 record with a 2.83 goals against average.

Terms for both deals weren't immediately available.

The Canucks were much more active on Monday as they offered veteran free agent forward Mats Sundin a two-year contract worth $20 million US, but the longtime Toronto Maple Leaf remains uncertain about his playing future.

Vancouver also tried to sign restricted free agent forward David Backes to an offer sheet of $7.5 million over three years. The Blues reserved the right to match the offer to Backes within seven days of signing the offer sheet and have already expressed their intention to do so.