The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves on the back end heading into tonight’s game against Montreal. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Victor Mancini from AHL Abbotsford while sending blueliner Tom Willander back to Abbotsford.
Mancini made Vancouver’s roster to start the season and had played in four games in the early going, although he was averaging just 11 minutes a night in those outings. Still, the team was comfortable with him rotating in and out of the sixth role.
However, in order to maximize their LTIR pool when Nils Hoglander was transferred there, the Canucks had to send Mancini down to the minors, bringing up Jimmy Schuldt instead. The team actually requested a one-time waiver of the CBA rule change that says a skater must play in the minors after being sent down but that was denied. Now that he has played his mandated one game in Abbotsford, Mancini is being brought back to the NHL roster.
As for Willander, he was the beneficiary of the denial of the CBA rule waiver as he ultimately got to spend a few days up with Vancouver collecting his NHL salary instead of his AHL one although he didn’t see any game action. The 20-year-old, viewed as one of Vancouver’s top prospects, is in his first professional season after turning pro back in the spring and has a goal in four games with Abbotsford.