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Pacific Notes: Sherwood, Strome

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On an episode of Sens 1-on-1 last Thursday, Nick Kypreos discussed Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood, noting that the late-bloomer is looking for $5 million or more per season, on a six year deal. Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal also speculated on Sherwood today on the Donnie & Dhali show, saying that Boston and Minnesota are two teams which are in on the pending free agent as a trade target. 

With a free agent market which has largely evaporated even before January, Sherwood would be wise to play the long game for a major pay raise. Fully aware of this, and with a team sputtering of late, Vancouver may take advantage of Sherwood’s emergence as well, and get a substantial trade package for a player likely to hit the open market either way. 

Sherwood, 30, was undrafted out of Miami (OH) but soon earned his way into a fourth line role with the Ducks in 2018-19. He then had to wait five years to become a full time NHLer again, doing so with Nashville, helping the team surpass expectations. Hitting the market, the winger inked a two year deal worth $1.5MM per season with the Canucks in 2024. He set career highs in games, goals, and assists last season, even breaking the single-season all-time hits record. With 12 goals in 26 games so far, Sherwood has maintained such levels, and the feisty winger may be set on hitting the market and cashing in after a long uphill battle to this point. 

With Evander Kane and Derek Forbort’s contracts set to come off the books, in theory Vancouver could make an extension work, but considering their state as a franchise, they may opt to receive a substantial trade package for the 30-year-old. Both Minnesota and Boston own their first-round picks this season, and it’s not hard to imagine Sherwood fetching one, if he can maintain such performance. 

Elsewhere in the division:

  • Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune shared that veteran Ryan Strome would be a healthy scratch tonight against St. Louis, as young defenseman Ian Moore re-entered the lineup, leaving Anaheim in a 11-forward, 7-defensemen configuration. Strome was injured before the season, but has offered on-track production with three points in nine games since, and solid underlying numbers as a two-way center. The veteran has been remarkably consistent with 41 points exactly in his last three seasons, but such is a bit underwhelming for a $5MM cap hit set to expire in 2027. Strome’s role has simply diminished on a dynamic young team, but it is safe to assume he’s set in Anaheim for now and will return to the lineup soon. 

Canucks Recall Jiri Patera

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The Canucks are recalling goaltender Jiri Patera from AHL Abbotsford, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. He’s coming up while Nikita Tolopilo takes a brief leave of absence from the club for the birth of his child. Vancouver doesn’t have an open roster spot, but they can move Tolopilo to the non-roster list to make one.

It’s the second time a Vancouver netminder has left the team for personal reasons in the last several days. Kevin Lankinen departed the team on Nov. 25 and missed two games before returning to start against the Kings on Saturday.

Lankinen, Patera, and Tolopilo have been holding the fort in patchwork fashion while Thatcher Demko remains unavailable due to a groin strain. He carries a week-to-week designation and hasn’t played since Nov. 11. His return is still not imminent, and he hasn’t joined the team’s road trip as they wrap it up Tuesday in Colorado, Dhaliwal said.

Lankinen, Demko’s uncontested backup, has seen the vast majority of action during that time. His leave of absence meant Tolopilo got his first two starts of the season last week, though. He faced 65 shots in a win and a loss against the Ducks and Sharks, making 58 saves for a .892 SV%. That was good for 1.3 goals saved above expected behind a taxing defensive workload, per MoneyPuck, a tick more than what Lankinen has provided in 14 appearances this season.

Now, Patera is back to serving as Lankinen’s backup after two previous stints on the active roster in November. His lone start this season came in a wild 8-5 loss to the Panthers on Nov. 17 in which he allowed seven goals on 40 shots for a .825 SV% and -3.4 GSAx. The 26-year-old has been better but not particularly promising in Abbotsford, where he has a .899 SV% and 2.89 GAA in six appearances with a 2-2-2 record. He’ll be headed back there as soon as Tolopilo rejoins the team or Demko is cleared to play, whichever comes first.

Conor Garland Out With Injury

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  • Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland missed yesterday’s game with an injury, but Friedman reported that the ailment is “not believed to be serious.” Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that Garland’s injury is not concussion-related, and while he will remain with the team for their road trip, he is questionable to play in the Canucks’ next game, Tuesday, in Denver. Garland is a key play-driver for the Canucks and has 15 points in 21 games so far in 2025-26.

Canucks Recall Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Assign Jiri Patera To AHL

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The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight against Los Angeles.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki has been recalled from AHL Abbotsford.  To make room for him on the roster, goaltender Jiri Patera has been sent down.

Lekkerimaki started the season with Vancouver but suffered an upper-body injury in the fourth game of the season.  That landed him on injured reserve for more than three weeks and upon being activated, he was sent to Abbotsford for what felt like a conditioning stint.  The 21-year-old played in five games in the AHL and was productive, notching three goals and two assists.

Lekkerimaki has a goal in his four outings at the top level this season in just under 10 minutes a night of playing time.  For his career, the 2022 first-round pick has four goals and three assists in 28 NHL outings.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him jump right back into a bottom-six role with Lukas Reichel being a candidate to lose his spot once again.

As for Patera, he was brought up on Tuesday when Kevin Lankinen stepped away from the team for a personal matter.  He didn’t see any game action on this recall but did get into one game earlier this month where he allowed seven goals on 40 shots.  The 26-year-old has a 3.10 GAA and a .894 SV% in five games with Abbotsford.  While not announced by the team, this move suggests that Lankinen is back with the team with he and Nikita Tolopilo comprising the tandem that should dress against the Kings.

Lankinen Could Return On Road Trip, Demko And Hoglander To Practice Saturday

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  • Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen could rejoin the team on their current road trip, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link). It was announced yesterday that he was taking a leave for personal reasons but it appears that his absence will be a short-term one.  Meanwhile, MacIntyre adds that their other netminder Thatcher Demko along with winger Nils Hoglander are expected in Los Angeles on Saturday to skate with the team, suggesting they’re nearing a return as well.  Vancouver has been decimated with injuries in the early going this season but some help could be on the horizon.

Latest On Vancouver Canucks Direction

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Earlier today, we covered reports coming out of Vancouver that the Canucks had made it known across the league that key veteran players, namely, their pending unrestricted free agents, were available to other teams in trade talks. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance provided some more detail on the situation in Vancouver, reporting that the club’s “hockey operations leadership spent much of the day in high-level meetings” and emerged with “a growing belief that the time has come to proactively chart a clear direction for the franchise.” While Drance clarified that the team is unlikely “to publicly brand their overall approach” as a “rebuild,” the Canucks have decided to realign their priorities “into a younger overall direction.”

Perhaps the most alarming element of Drance’s reporting, at least for the Canucks’ short-term future, was his revelation that Canucks management “has seen enough to be skeptical of this group’s urgency and will to win on a consistent basis.” That impacts the Canucks’ immediate planning, as the team had long been rumored to be highly interested in acquiring an NHL-ready second-line center. That has now changed, with Drance writing that “the notion of paying futures for a second-line center upgrade will be off the table for the time being.” The Canucks are in a difficult spot, to be sure, and the looming unrestricted free agency of franchise face Quinn Hughes doesn’t help matters. But at the very least it appears the team is engaging in an honest interrogation of its own competitive chances, one that appears to have led to them selecting a more sustainable path to contention.

Canucks’ Kevin Lankinen Takes Leave Of Absence

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The Canucks announced goaltender Kevin Lankinen will not travel with the team on their four-game road trip due to personal reasons, although the team didn’t clarify if he may join the club midway through. In a corresponding move, Vancouver recalled Jiří Patera from the AHL under emergency conditions after reassigning him just yesterday. They had an open roster spot, so they don’t need to free up a spot for Patera.

With Thatcher Demko still on injured reserve with a groin issue, the Canucks are now without both halves of their regular goaltending tandem. They will rely on Patera and Nikita Tolopilo, their top two minor-league options, until one of Demko or Lankinen can return. Patera had spent the past two-plus weeks as Lankinen’s backup, but the Canucks swapped him out for Tolopilo yesterday to give the latter a chance at playing time. Now, they could both be in line for starts soon with a back-to-back against the Sharks and Kings on Friday and Saturday, following tomorrow’s game against the Ducks.

Following a decent 2024-25 season in a higher-than-usual workload, Lankinen has kept up his play in 2025-26. Through 12 starts and one relief appearance, he’s 4-7-2 with a .880 SV%. Those aren’t inspiring numbers at face value, especially since his GAA has spiked from a 2.62 GAA last year to a 3.63 figure this year. A deeper look reveals Lankinen has had to contend with some of the league’s worst defensive support in front of him. Among the 40 goaltenders with at least nine appearances this season, Lankinen’s expected GAA of 3.65 ranks second-highest behind only Jeremy Swayman’s 3.68.

Combine that porous defense with untested goaltending depth, and this trip could be a disastrous one for the Canucks. Patera is inexperienced, even as No. 3 options go, and doesn’t have a promising track record in his limited NHL showings. The 26-year-old made one start during his previous call-up and was lit up for seven goals on 40 shots against the Panthers on Nov. 17. That worked out to a .825 SV%, 7.39 GAA, and -3.4 goals saved above expected. That brought down his career stat line to a 3-4-1 record, .892 SV%, and a 4.01 GAA in nine appearances. His other eight showings came with the Golden Knights in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Canucks Reportedly Listening To Offers On Veterans

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In a new report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the insider shares that the Vancouver Canucks have begun listening to offers on ’veteran players’. Friedman indicated that this includes players who are pending unrestricted free agents, as well as a handful with two or more years left on their contracts.

Friedman’s report states that the Canucks have zero interest in a full-scale rebuild, although they are considering a retooling effort to become a younger team. Instead of theorizing on a few names that could get moved, Friedman only noted the two that Vancouver has no interest in parting with: Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek.

If the Canucks enter the deadline season as sellers, they haven’t made it particularly easy on themselves. 10 out of the 23 players on the active roster have sizeable trade protection on their contracts, while two more (Conor Garland & Thatcher Demko) will be getting no-movement clauses next season as a part of their recent extensions.

Arguably, the most tradeable asset the team has is winger Kiefer Sherwood. Signed to a modest $1.5MM salary this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent, Sherwood has styled himself as an ideal playoff performer. Over the last two years with Vancouver, Sherwood has scored 31 goals and 56 points in 101 games, averaging 15:32 of ice time per game, while also delivering a whopping 560 hits.

Similar to Sherwood, Evander Kane, who’s in his first year with the club, could also have interest from contending teams. The former fourth-overall pick recently went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 41 games, delivering 159 hits. Unlike Sherwood, Kane is earning a higher salary of $5.125MM for the remainder of the season and can block trades to up to 16 different teams.

Assuming Vancouver doesn’t attempt to move anyone with a no-movement clause and hold to their desire to retain Hughes and Hronek, there aren’t many veterans with multiple years left on their contracts to move. In fact, bottom-six forward Drew O’Connor is one of the few to fit this criteria who the Canucks could conceivably receive positive value for on the trade market.

It’s the cost of doing business, but there’s no questioning that the duo of Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford have put themselves in a bind, at least for the 2025-26 campaign, with the amount of no-movement clauses they have handed out over the years. Vancouver has a few pieces they could trade away for younger talent, though it doesn’t seem like enough to move the needle in any meaningful fashion.

Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Reassign MacKenzie MacEachern

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The Canucks are swapping backup goaltenders ahead of a four-game road swing. The team announced they’ve recalled Nikita Tolopilo from AHL Abbotsford to replace Jiří Patera, who’s been returned to Abbotsford in a corresponding move. In a separate transaction, they also left themselves with an open roster spot by reassigning winger Mackenzie MacEachern to Abbotsford.

Tolopilo, 25, gets his first crack at handling NHL goaltending duties for any significant length of time, as Thatcher Demko is set to miss around another week with a groin injury. An undrafted free agent signed from Sweden’s Södertälje SK in 2023, the Belarusian national made his NHL debut late last season, starting Vancouver’s penultimate game of the campaign before entering in relief in Game 82. The 6’6″, 229-lb netminder faced 26 shots and saved 23 of them for a .885 SV% and -1.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

While it wasn’t the most promising initial showing in a small sample, Tolopilo has been a quality AHL option ever since his arrival over two years ago. The two-time medalist with Belarus at the Division 1A World Juniors has a .903 SV%, 2.78 GAA, four shutouts, and a 41-30-4 record in 76 career appearances for Abbotsford. He’s been consistent year-to-year and has started five games for the struggling Baby Canucks this season, posting a respectable 3.35 GAA and .901 SV% despite the team’s dreadful 3-12-3 record and allowing more than four goals per game. With Vancouver having a back-to-back against the Sharks and Kings on Friday and Saturday, Tolopilo could start one of those games if Demko isn’t ready to return.

He’ll get a crack after Patera failed to impress in his first start as a Canuck one week ago in Florida. He was shelled by the Panthers for 40 shots against and conceded goals on seven of them for a .825 SV% and -3.4 goals saved above expected. The six-year pro is in his second season with Vancouver after being a longtime No. 3/4 option for the Golden Knights, who let him walk as a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2024. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks that will see him become a UFA again next summer.

MacEachern, 31, concludes his first recall as a Canuck. He inked a two-year, two-way deal with Vancouver this summer and started the season in Abbotsford after clearing waivers. The decision to demote him is presumably to preserve his waiver-exempt status for a while longer. He’d played in eight of 12 games since being called up, including five in a row. He’d been delivering bang for his buck in a fourth-line role, notching his first regular-season NHL goal since February 2021 and adding three assists for four points while averaging 10:11 per game. That heater, plus his 131 games of NHL experience, could make him a claim target if he hits waivers. He can only play two more games for the Canucks or be rostered for four more days until he needs them again to return to Abbotsford, where he had two goals in seven games to begin the season.

Canucks Still Searching For Impactful Second-Line Center

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The addition of David Kampf hasn’t pulled the Vancouver Canucks off of the center market just yet. The club could be continuing their search for a stout, second-line center with Filip Chytil out and Lukas Reichel failing to live up to expectations, per Patrick Johnston of The Province.

Vancouver is certainly in a tricky spot with a quarter of the season gone by. Chytil appeared to be exactly what the team needed to start the year. He scored three goals in the first six games of the year, while adding 15 shots on goal and a 47.4 faceoff percentage. But he is now out for at least a bit longer with another upper-body injury – something the 26-year-old center has struggled with for the last three seasons. Reichel wasn’t able to pick up the slack after joining Vancouver via trade. He has posted one assist and a minus-six in 13 games with the club.

Those woes have pulled Vancouver back into a position of need. They are currently leaning on Kampf and Aatu Raty to operate behind top-center Elias Pettersson. Bringing in a trade option like Nazem Kadri, Pavel Zacha, or Alexander Wennberg would go far in giving Vancouver a bit more command over their top-six. The center position has proven to be highly sought after through the early year, which could drive up the price of any potential trades – but finding a better way to boost high-performing wingers like Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, and Evander Kane could make the price worthwhile.

Johnston mentioned that Garland could be a candidate to be moved to a club looking for a veteran presence. Vancouver could also begin to tap into their prospect pool to swing a deal, potentially dangling high-upside prospects like Kirill Kudryavtsev, Danila Klimovich, or Anthony Romani. Any of the three, packaged alongside draft capital, should be enough to land Vancouver an impactful veteran who can step right into the top-six.

The Canucks don’t need it all from any new additions. Boeser is more than capable of handling the goal-scoring on the second-line, while Kiefer Sherwood or Linus Karlsson could bring a hard-nosed punch even if the team parts with Garland. They only need a semblance of consistency to help pull together the top of their lineup. Rebuilders like the San Jose Sharks could be a perfect trade partner to find that sort of impact before Vancouver slips further down the Western Conference standings. But with a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games, and no support in sight as things stand, Vancouver may need to step up as an aggressive buyer to make sure they can keep their year afloat.

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