I think they expected him to show up in the shape required to be a player in the top league in the world. He wasn't even close. He would have been out of shape for the AHL. The Canucks, one would assume, offered and signed that contract under that assumption. When he didn't, they treated him like they would any other player and asked him to go to Utica, where they player less frequently and train more, to get in shape and then come back.
His entire approach to coming over was bush league, imo. He clearly didn't understand what being an NHL player entailed and wasn't ready for it mentally. I don't hold it against him, but he handled it all very poorly and got some very bad advice from those around him.