In the third week of free agency, the pool of available forward choices kept becoming smaller. The majority of the most desirable names were either sold or went elsewhere. As a result, teams’ remaining UFA class is nearly entirely composed of reclamation projects, whether they be young players just starting their careers or seasoned players nearing the conclusion of their careers.
One of the latter, James van Riemsdyk, has previously been looked at. He had a good season with the Bruins in a depth role, but he is still looking for a new place to call home. Tanner Pearson is another left-winger that is still accessible.
After being taken in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Pearson started his career with the Kings in 2013–14 in a depth role and gradually adjusted to NHL minutes. The 21-year-old did not begin the season on the NHL roster; instead, he worked his way up to a late-season call-up and, by the time the playoffs arrived, an everyday spot in the lineup. Despite only getting around 12 minutes of ice time per night, Pearson—who was now playing more of a middle-six role—turned out to be one of the Kings’ most significant players that spring, scoring 12 points in 24 games as L.A. won its second Stanley Cup in three years.
In the last year of a bridge agreement, the Kitchener, Ontario native continued to rise through the ranks of the Kings’ lineup, scoring a career-high 24 goals in 2016–17. After his breakout campaign, Los Angeles did not allow the pending RFA go unsigned, signing him to a somewhat unfortunate four-year, $15MM contract. Following a lackluster 2017–18 campaign, Pearson started the 2018–19 campaign with just one assist in 17 games before being traded to the Penguins in exchange for Carl Hagelin. After putting up 14 points in 44 games during his better but still forgettable stay in Pittsburgh, Pearson was dealt for the second time that season, this time to the Canucks in exchange for Erik Gudbranson.
Pearson was able to re-discover his game in Vancouver. In just 19 games while wearing a Canucks jersey, he doubled his nine goals for the season as the season came to a close. Reviving, Pearson took over the starting lineup in Vancouver for the 2019–20 season. In 69 games, he scored a career-best 45 points, surpassing his previous career high of 0.55 points per game with a per game average of 0.65.
However, in the last season of his contract, Pearson’s performance completely collapsed. In 51 games with a -15 rating, he managed just 10 goals and 18 points, despite a career-high 17:04 per game in 2020–21. Nonetheless, Vancouver extended Pearson for the following three seasons at that position because they thought he was closer to the player who had surged to a career-high the year before.
Pearson returned to a respectable middle-six productivity in 2021–2022 as a result of the contract (34 points in 68 games). But he was only able to play in 14 games in 2022–23 due to a hand injury that teammate Quinn Hughes said the Canucks handled carelessly. During that season, he recorded one goal and four assists. While some initially thought Pearson’s injury might be the end of his career, it became evident during the summer that he would be able to play again. However, it wouldn’t be in Vancouver as they dealt him to the Canadiens in exchange for backup goalie Casey DeSmith during training camp.
During his time in Montreal, Pearson continued to be limited by unrelated injuries, missing almost thirty games and reverting to a clearly bottom-six role. At this year’s deadline, the Canadiens attempted to move him for the fourth time in his career, but no one showed any interest. It should come as no surprise since reports from May said Montreal would not bring him back.
Statistics 2023–2024: 54 PIMs, 5 G, 8 A, 13 P, -12, 12:56 ATOI, and 43.5 CF%
Career: 15:04 ATOI, 51.4 CF%, 644 GP, 138 G, 147 A, 285 P, -3, 230 PIMs
Possible Partners
On the open market, no specific names have been connected to Pearson. But, as a cheap fourth-line option, Pearson could draw some interest from playoffs aspirants given his Stanley Cup ring and more than 50 postseason games played.
Going back to the Kings might make sense. RFA Arthur Kaliyev was qualified by the team, although he is not anticipated to return in the fall and is probably going to be traded. Their fourth line is now vacant, which is made worse by Blake Lizotte and Carl Grundström’s exits. They don’t have enough internal forward options for regular NHL minutes, even if 2019 top-five pick Alex Turcotte makes the transition to the NHL full-time the following season.
The Jets, Predators, and Wild are a few more West teams hoping to contend for the postseason next year that would benefit from veteran insurance for their bottom six. The Senators, Red Wings, and Bruins all make a good deal of sense in the East as also make a good deal of sense, though there are still some unanswered questions about their depth wingers.
Estimated Agreement
Given that it’s late in the month and that Pearson just had his worst-ever season in terms of points per game (0.24), there won’t be much interest in offering him anything more than a $1MM, one-year contract. The longer he goes unsigned, the more likely it is that he will take a league minimum deal ($775K). He probably still has a chance to sign a one-way contract when he starts his age-32 season, but his cap hit will probably still be negotiable in the lower leagues.