The Vancouver Canucks added one University of Michigan product this season to the roster. (You may have heard of Quinn Hughes.) They failed in their bid to add another, and now they could lose him.

Will Lockwood informed the Canucks earlier this week that he would be going back to school instead of signing an entry-level deal. It means that the Canucks third-round pick (64th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft will become a free agent if he’s not re-signed by next summer.

Typically, when college free agents turn down entry-level deals, it can mean they are considering becoming unrestricted free agents and signing with whomever they chose. That seems to be exactly what coveted prospect Adam Fox is doing, as he chose not to sign with Carolina and will almost certainly be traded to another team eager to get his name on a contract.

Is that what Lockwood intends to do? It’s hard to say.

His camp certainly hasn’t said anything of that nature and it’s of course fair if he feels that he needs to go back to the NCAA and develop as a player.

But there’s also at least a chance that he’s looking at the Canucks’ current stable of forwards and wondering if there is any room for him. After all, the club does seem to have a entrenched set of veterans, as well as a few prospects waiting in the wings. And he did lead his team in goals with 16—though Hughes eclipsed him in points with 33 to Lockwood’s 31.

It might be hard for Lockwood to find himself in a role with the Canucks for at least the next several years. Maybe he’s come to that conclusion.

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