Hamhuis, 27, who played six seasons with the Nashville Predators, originally had his negotiating rights traded to Philadelphia. When the Flyers realized they couldn't get a deal done, his rights were moved to Pittsburgh. The Penguins, though, also couldn't sign him before noon ET Thursday.
The 6-foot-1, 209-pound blue-liner hit the open market and it proved to be the right decision because Hamhuis was one of several defenseman that found new homes and became richer within the first five hours of the free agent signing period.
Hamhuis looks like a replacement (upgrade in some minds) for Willie Mitchell in Vancouver. Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent who is not expected to re-sign with the Canucks, who already have Keith Ballard, Alexander Edler, Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo, Shane O'Brien, Kevin Bieksa, Andrew Alberts and Aaron Rome under contract.
It's possible that Canucks GM Mike Gillis looks to trade some of his defensive depth for forward help.
Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl
