The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Antoine Roussel to the Utica Comets on a conditioning stint, a good sign that he is finally nearing a return. Roussel hasn’t played in a single game for the Canucks after suffering a major knee injury at the end of last season.
Vancouver has been impressive this season with their new look group, headlined by the additions of Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, J.T. Miller, Micheal Ferland and Jordie Benn. They sit at 12-8-4 on the year and are in good shape for a legitimate playoff run, even if the team still has some growing pains to go through.
Getting Roussel back should help ease those pains, after he made such a strong impression last season. The physical forward had nine goals and 31 points in just 65 games for the Canucks, a career-high for him. Though he won’t be leading many offensive categories, Roussel is another one of the in-your-face options that head coach Travis Green can roll out to get opponent’s on their heels and making mistakes.