The Braeden Cootes era could begin any time now.
The Vancouver Canucks signed their 2025 first-round pick to a standard three-year entry-level contract on Wednesday.
That Cootes has signed a contract isn’t all that surprising — rare is the first-round pick who doesn’t get locked in by the team that picks them.
That the Canucks have signed him so quickly is a sign of a team that could be ready to hand their newest top-end prospect a chance to make it.
Of course, signing him to a deal and putting him in the lineup are two very different things. Because of his age, Cootes’ contract can still “slide” for another two years. It will only truly begin once he has played 10 NHL games or turns 20 years old.
Could Cootes surprise us all and play NHL games as soon as this fall? It seems unlikely, but at the moment it’s also not impossible. He impressed at last week’s player development camp, showing a quick, powerful skating stride and sharp skills in the defensive zone and around the net, just as he was advertised.
And the Canucks’ centre depth chart is a little unsettled. Management does still hope to find another veteran centre who could push the conversation around the second-line centre job — that won’t be Cootes — but at the moment Filip Chytil is lined up for the job. Behind him is Teddy Blueger, Max Sasson, Aatu Raty and Nils Aman as options for the third- and fourth-line centre jobs.
All four have plenty of pro experience now and NHL experience at that, so the idea that Cootes could beat one of them out to win an NHL job next fall seems unlikely, but in hockey you never say never.
“His compete level and desire to be one of the best players on the ice at UBC was apparent from the very first day. We liked his hard work and attention to detail, and we look forward to helping him improve as a hockey player,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said in a statement. The praise for his character is no mistake, as the Canucks have made it clear they see the Seattle Thunderbirds captain as a future leader for this team.