Canucks Reassign Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks have sent winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford, GM Patrik Allvin announced Thursday. His spot in the lineup will go to one of Phillip Di Giuseppe, Elias Lindholm (undisclosed, day-to-day) or Pius Suter, all of whom were scratched for yesterday’s 2-1 win over the Coyotes.
Bains, 23, signed an entry-level deal with the club two years ago and earned his first NHL recall in February amid a breakout season in Abbotsford. He was returned to the minors on March 1 but was given another chance with a second recall last week. He’s played eight games across his two stints on the roster, struggling with a -5 rating, 6 PIMs and only four shots on goal while averaging 11:48 per game.
Evidently not ready for major league action, the Surrey, British Columbia native will likely remain in Abbotsford for the rest of the season. He’s excelled there this season, posting 14 goals, 35 assists, 49 points, and a +15 rating in 53 games. Regardless of his lack of NHL impact thus far, he’s proven to be a smart undrafted free-agent pickup by Allvin and is one of the organization’s better forwards under the age of 25. He led the WHL in scoring two seasons ago with Red Deer, putting himself on NHL teams’ radars after a tumultuous major junior tenure up to that point. Bains has one season remaining on his ELC, which carries a cap hit of $817K.
Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks recalled winger Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday, GM Patrik Allvin said. To create the cap space required to add Bains’ $816.7K cap hit, the team moved goaltender Thatcher Demko to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to when he sustained a knee injury against the Jets on March 9. Bains’ recall is an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, suggesting another forward aside from Elias Lindholm (undisclosed, day-to-day) may be absent for Thursday’s game against the Stars.
This is Bains’ second recall of the season. The 23-year-old was first summoned in mid-February and made his NHL debut in Colorado three days later. He made another four appearances but was held without a point and managed only three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. Bains was then returned to Abbotsford on March 1, one week before the trade deadline.
An undrafted free agent pickup out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, Bains’ signing is looking like one of Allvin’s shrewder moves at the helm of the Canucks. The Surrey, British Columbia native adjusted well to the pros, putting up 38 points in 66 games in a middle-six role after leading the WHL in scoring during his overage season. Bains has taken things up a notch this year, breaking out as a first-line talent with Abbotsford and leading the team with 35 assists and 49 points in 53 games.
Bains didn’t look entirely out of place under the eye test in his call-up last month, but the stats weren’t kind. He was used in a checking role by head coach Rick Tocchet and struggled to control shot attempts, logging a 45.5 CF% at even strength that was a staggering 13.9% worse than the Canucks’ overall CF% when Bains was off the ice over his five-game stint. Keeping his head above water in terms of possession quality was even more of a struggle, logging a 33.3 xGF%.
Nonetheless, he’ll get a second chance to inject some energy into their bottom six. He was quite good in the minors after being returned to Abbotsford a few weeks ago, scoring five goals and adding five assists for 10 points in 11 games. He still has another season left on his entry-level contract and remains waiver-exempt.
As for Demko, the LTIR placement indicates the star starter will be out until at least April 6 against the Kings, meaning he’ll miss at least Vancouver’s next four games. The likely Vezina Trophy candidate remains out on a week-to-week basis but is expected back before the end of the regular season. Casey DeSmith has been the Canucks’ crease’s sole occupant since Demko got hurt, posting a 3-2-1 record and .903 SV% since replacing him against the Jets.
Canucks Reassign Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks have assigned left-winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford, GM Patrik Allvin said Friday. Bains had been on the roster since a Feb. 17 recall, the first of his NHL career.
The 23-year-old didn’t record a point in his first five NHL outings, posting a -3 rating and three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. He spent a little over a third of his 5-on-5 ice time with Conor Garland and Elias Lindholm, although the trio struggled to maintain possession with a 38.1% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Individually, Bains posted poor possession numbers with a 45.5 CF% at even strength and an expected rating of -1.6, although starting 61% of his shifts in the defensive zone likely didn’t help matters.
That showing shouldn’t detract much from a promising season for the Surrey, British Columbia native, though. An undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks from the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels in 2022, Bains has broken out for nine goals and 30 assists for 39 points in 42 games in his sophomore season with Abbotsford, leading the team in scoring. His +13 rating is also a team-high.
Bains doesn’t yet require waivers for a minor-league assignment, and it’ll be a while before he does. He must play two more professional seasons or 75 NHL games, whichever comes first, before his waiver exemption lapses.
He now returns to Abbotsford, where he’ll earn his minor-league salary of $70K compared to his NHL salary of $775K. He has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $816.7K. He’ll be an RFA upon expiry in 2025.
Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains, Assign Jett Woo To AHL
The Canucks made a pair of roster moves on Friday, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford. In a corresponding move, defenseman Jett Woo was re-assigned to the AHL.
It’s the first career recall for Bains, who signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent two years ago. The 23-year-old is the top scorer for Abbotsford, notching nine goals and 30 assists, sitting a dozen points clear of second-place Max Sasson. Bains is expected to take the place of Dakota Joshua who is listed as week-to-week after injuring his hand in a fight on Tuesday.
As for Woo, his first NHL recall came back on Monday but it winds up being a short-lived one; the 23-year-old didn’t suit up with Vancouver during that time. Woo is on his second NHL contract having inked a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum at the NHL level. He has 16 points in 42 games so far this season, sitting just five points high of his career high set last season.
While Vancouver could have made an open roster spot available by placing Joshua on injured reserve, they didn’t have enough cap space to afford Bains’ recall on its own, resulting in Woo having to be sent down.
Pacific Notes: Whitecloud, Karlsson, Canucks, Flames
The Vegas Golden Knights are grappling with uncertainty surrounding the availability of defenseman Zach Whitecloud for their opening night banner-raising against the Seattle Kraken next Tuesday. Head coach Bruce Cassidy, during a press conference Wednesday, expressed hesitance to confirm Whitecloud’s participation in the season opener.
Cassidy said that until Zach is on the ice, he can’t say he expects him to play. Whitecloud, a key depth piece for the Golden Knights, has been dealing with an undisclosed issue that has kept him off the ice during preseason activities for around a week. The 26-year-old missed significant time last season with injury, playing 59 out of 82 games and recording 12 points and a +10 rating. When healthy, he’s expected to resume his usual role on the team’s third pairing behind Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore on the team’s right side.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division today:
- Sticking with Vegas, they’re also dealing with a day-to-day injury to center William Karlsson that is not expected to stretch into the regular season. Cassidy said he’s been dealing with an undisclosed issue throughout training camp to date and that he will not play in tomorrow’s preseason contest against the Colorado Avalanche. Karlsson played a crucial role in the Knights’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup, recording 11 goals and 17 points in 22 games. His 53 points last season were his highest since 2018-19, his sophomore campaign with Vegas, after potting 43 goals in the 2017-18 season.
- The Vancouver Canucks are bringing in some reinforcements, recalling multiple players from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks today. Goaltender Arturs Silovs, defenseman Filip Johansson, and forwards Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson will be available to the team for tonight’s preseason contest against the Seattle Kraken. All will likely get returned to the minors tomorrow after being cut from Canucks camp earlier this week.
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis believes a “significant announcement” regarding a new arena for the Calgary Flames could come tomorrow. Plans for a new home to replace the aging Scotiabank Saddledome are already well underway, with their ownership group and the Alberta government reaching a preliminary agreement for a new arena after the end of last season. The provincial government also greenlit the first C$39MM dedicated to the project last month.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Arshdeep Bains
The Vancouver Canucks have dipped their toes into the undrafted free agent waters, signing local product Arshdeep Bains to a three-year, entry-level contract. Bains currently plays for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Though not specifically mentioned, the contract likely starts in 2022-23.
Bains, 21, is tied for the lead in WHL scoring this season with 82 points in 55 games and leads all players with 52 assists. The undrafted winger is in his fifth season in the CHL, but has come a long way from the player who registered just seven points in 2017-18. With Red Deer heading to the WHL playoffs after a strong season, he likely won’t be joining the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks for some time.
Vancouver GM Patrik Alvin promised that the team would be looking everywhere for talent, not just through the draft, and this is the first step toward following through in the few months he’s been at the helm. A lesson he likely learned during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Allvin knows that to truly fill out the organizational depth chart they need to take chances on players that might have otherwise been overlooked. Bains has a chance to be just that if he can carry over his offensive production to the professional level.