Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced a series of roster moves today. Vancouver is sending defenseman Mark Friedman and goaltender Artūrs Šilovs to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League and recalling forwards Linus Karlsson and Phillip Di Giuseppe.
Vancouver appears to be setting their roster in place before the upcoming NHL roster freeze. The Canucks could have waited until later in the week to shuffle things around, but their situation was a bit complicated by the fact that they play on the road tomorrow and Thursday.
Friedman returns to Abbotsford, where he has spent the bulk of his season, appearing in eight AHL games. The 28-year-old has shuttled back and forth throughout most of his professional career and will likely return to Vancouver later in the season when there is a need. The Toronto, Ontario native has dressed in 91 career NHL games over seven seasons.
Silovs has already set a career-high this season in NHL games played with seven, but has struggled immensely at the NHL level, posting a 1-4-1 record with a 4.11 goals against average and a .847 save percentage. The 23-year-old should have an opportunity to play a lot in the AHL as he tries to get his confidence back.
Karlsson and Di Giuseppe have earned call-ups that likely would have happened earlier this year, but those plans were thwarted by injuries. Karlsson played in the playoffs last season for the Canucks, dressing in two games. He earned that opportunity after tearing it up in the AHL last season with 23 goals and 37 assists in 60 games. He has had a solid albeit brief start to the AHL season, tallying five goals and an assist in seven games.
Di Giuseppe returns to the NHL after spending much of last season in Vancouver. The 31-year-old had five goals and five assists in 51 NHL games last season and also appeared in 11 NHL playoff games, lighting the lamp once and adding a helper. An early-season injury has limited the Maple, Ontario native to just four AHL games this year, but it appears he will get a shot at some NHL minutes.