Nov. 11: The Canucks announced they’ve reversed the Silovs/Young flip, adding the Latvian back to the NHL roster while sending Young back to Abbotsford. Silovs played in yesterday’s game against the Oilers’ affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, making 23 saves on 25 shots en route to a 4-2 win.
Nov. 10: The Canucks have shuffled their roster in a big way, announcing the recall of 2022 first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimäki from AHL Abbotsford. He’s likely slated to make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Flames.
They’ve also switched out their backup netminders. Arturs Silovs has been assigned to Abbotsford after a tough start to the season, while 20-year-old Ty Young has been recalled to serve as Kevin Lankinen’s No. 2 for now.
Arshdeep Bains and Nils Åman were also sent down to Abbotsford in corresponding transactions, giving them an open roster spot. That spot will likely be used to activate Dakota Joshua, who’s on the verge of returning after undergoing offseason surgery to remove testicular cancer, from injured reserve.
It’s far from an unexpected recall for Lekkerimäki. While he was banged up enough to miss last night’s contest for Abbotsford, he’s ready to go and should be available Tuesday. Most thought he would get the summons from the AHL after the Canucks dealt Daniel Sprong to the Kraken for future considerations on Friday, freeing up a lineup spot for a scoring winger. The 20-year-old Lekkerimäki has thrived this season, posting five goals and two assists in seven AHL contests.
Lekkerimäki is in his first full season in North America. The Swedish right-winger spent last season with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he broke out to lead the club in scoring with 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games. The 5’11”, 172-lb sniper closed out the year with a pair of points in six games for Abbotsford after his SHL campaign ended, but he’s taken leaps in his development over the summer. He’ll look to help jumpstart a Canucks offense that’s lagging slightly from last season, scoring 3.23 goals per game compared to 2023-24’s 3.40 mark.
While the Canucks would like to get a little more offense going, their goaltending situation is of much higher concern. While Thatcher Demko remains on the shelf with his popliteus muscle injury, Lankinen had been quite good as their temporary starter, entering last night’s game with a .923 SV%. That number is down to .905 after he conceded seven goals on 27 shots yesterday to the Oilers. At the same time, Silovs had been borderline unplayable as Lankinen’s backup with a .808 SV%, 4.77 GAA and -7.2 GSAA in just three starts and one relief appearance.
It’s not what Vancouver expected out of Silovs after the 23-year-old was forced into playoff action last year, doing well to record a .898 SV% and 2.91 GAA in 10 appearances after Demko and then-backup Casey DeSmith exited with injuries. The 2019 sixth-round pick doesn’t require waivers to head to the minors until next season, so the Canucks will take advantage of his exemption and ferry him back to Abbotsford to get him some additional development time. Silovs, who signed a two-year, $1.7MM contract after becoming a restricted free agent over the summer, now has a 3.17 GAA and .876 SV% in 13 regular-season NHL games dating back to the 2022-23 season.
Meanwhile, Young gets his first NHL recall just two games into his professional career. The 2022 fifth-round pick started the season on assignment to Kalamazoo, where he was lights out with a .974 SV% and 1.01 GAA in a pair of games. He was briefly recalled to Abbotsford last week but will bypass that level entirely for now, as he’s set to dress for his first NHL contest while Lankinen assumedly returns to action against Calgary. The 6’3″ netminder posted a .903 SV%, 2.79 GAA, one shutout, and a 23-11-0 record in 37 games for the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League last season.
Bains has been subject to more than a few paper transactions this season, but with Joshua’s return pending, this demotion might be more permanent. The 23-year-old forward has one goal in seven games this season while averaging 11:40 per night.
Meanwhile, Åman returns to Abbotsford after being summoned solely for yesterday’s matchup with Edmonton. The 24-year-old center cleared waivers last week after sitting in the press box for four straight games. He has two assists and a -3 rating in five NHL showings for the Canucks this year and two assists in two games for Abbotsford.
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