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Canucks Notes: Sherwood, Joshua, Friedman

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The Vancouver Canucks fit in a practice early this morning before traveling to St. Louis to begin a three-game road-trip. The skate brought plenty of updates. Most notably, third-line forward Kiefer Sherwood did not travel with the team, per Jeff Patterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver. He is expected to miss Monday’s game, at least, after also sitting out of the team’s Saturday win over Washington. There is hope that he could join the team partway through the trip. No specifics of Sherwood’s injury have been disclosed.

Sherwood is having a career year in his first season with the Canucks. He ranks fourth on the team with 13 goals – just behind Jake DeBrusk (17), Brock Boeser (16), and defender Quinn Hughes (14). Sherwood has totaled 21 points through 47 games, putting him just six games shy of his career-high in scoring with 34 games still on the schedule. It has been a long road to land Sherwood in an everyday NHL role. He originally debuted with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, but only managed 12 points in 50 games as a rookie. He spent the next three seasons making only spot starts at the top flight, through trips with Anaheim and the Colorado Avalanche, before spending the full season with the Nashville Predators last season. That’s when he set a career-high 27 points – a number he’s poised to smash now with the fourth club of his seven-year career.

In other Canucks news, forward Dakota Joshua made his return to the practice sheet on Sunday. Joshua has missed Vancouver’s last 10 games with a leg injury. He was placed on injured reserve on January 6th. Joshua has had an up-and-down season. A summer cancer diagnosis forced him to sit out the first month of the season, but he was a routine presence in the Canucks lineup between November and early January. He’s managed just four points and 20 penalty minutes through 24 games – but was riding a seven-game scoring drought prior to injury. He seems to be nearing a lineup return, likely giving him a chance to break his cold spell on Vancouver’s upcoming trip.

Ahead of the road trip, Vancouver also assigned defenseman Mark Friedman to the AHL. Friedman has only played in five NHL games this season – two coming last week. He hasn’t managed any scoring through the appearances, with 10 penalty minutes and a -4 his only notable stat changes. He’s been slightly more productive in the minors, with one goal and six points in 20 appearances with the Abbotsford Canucks. Friedman has served as a top AHL call-up for nearly every year of his nine-year career. He’ll continue to fill that role with this move, with Vancouver opting to carry rookie defenseman Elias Pettersson for their road trip instead.

Canucks, Kevin Lankinen Have Had Extension Talks

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The Canucks began preliminary extension discussions with goaltender Kevin Lankinen as soon as he became eligible to sign a new deal on Jan. 1, Thomas Drance of The Athletic relayed earlier this week.

Nothing is close on the matter, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic added Friday, and it will likely take until the NHL sets next season’s salary cap ceiling until negotiations kick into overdrive. Of course, that announcement will come much earlier than normal – potentially even before the trade deadline – according to a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet this week. Their talks have also moved to the backburner in recent weeks with most of the Canucks’ front-office resources dedicated to working out a J.T. Miller trade, something that’s still on the horizon after he almost became a Ranger for the second time last weekend.

While the fit in Vancouver for Lankinen has been spectacular, whether the Canucks will be willing to dole out what it will take to retain him is questionable. After inking a one-year deal worth just $875K in training camp, Lankinen carried a heavy workload while starter Thatcher Demko continued to rehab the complex knee injury he sustained during last year’s playoffs. He remains the team’s No. 1 option with Demko struggling after his return, boasting a 16-8-6 record and .903 SV% through 30 appearances. He’s already just seven games short of the career high he set during his rookie season with the Blackhawks in 2020-21, and he’s set a new career-best mark in shutouts with four.

His numbers across the board are pretty average, but considering the struggles of Demko (.867 SV%, 3.47 GAA) and third-stringer Arturs Silovs (.847 SV%, 4.11 GAA), he’s been among the team’s most valuable players and one of the main reasons they’re still in the conversation for a playoff spot amid an injury-plagued campaign. That positions Lankinen to cash in with an AAV of around $4MM on a multi-year extension, LeBrun opines, twice as much as his previous career-high cap hit. He made $2MM on a one-year deal with the Predators while backing up Juuse Saros last year.

Anything much higher than $4MM would be a considerable risk for a 29-year-old netminder who’s on pace to start 30 games for just the second time in his career. However, outside from a sophomore slump with Chicago in 2021-22, he’s largely been an above-average option in limited starts and an average one with a more extended workload. Pairing him with Demko, whose $5MM cap hit next season stands to be a bargain if he can recapture his pre-injury level of play, could create a serviceable tandem at worst for less than $10MM against the cap and gives Vancouver a safety net past next year if Demko can’t rebound or tests free agency.

Silovs Assigned To Abbotsford

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  • After bringing him up on an emergency basis last night, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Arturs Silovs has been sent back to AHL Abbotsford. The 23-year-old started the season as Vancouver’s backup but struggled considerably, posting a 4.11 GAA and a .847 SV% in seven games, resulting in his demotion once Thatcher Demko returned.  In the minors, Silovs has fared a lot better, putting up a 2.53 GAA and a .906 SV% in eight outings with Abbotsford.

Canucks Place Noah Juulsen On IR, Recall Elias Pettersson And Linus Karlsson

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The Canucks have made a trio of roster moves heading into Thursday’s game against Edmonton.  The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Noah Juulsen has been placed on injured reserve.  In corresponding moves, defenseman Elias Pettersson and forward Linus Karlsson were recalled from AHL Abbotsford.

Juulsen has missed the last week with an undisclosed injury.  The 27-year-old has played in 32 games with Vancouver this season and is still looking for his first point.  However, he has 57 blocked shots and 89 hits while averaging 16:34 per night, his highest ATOI since he was a prospect with Montreal over his first two professional seasons.  The team indicated that Juulsen’s placement was retroactive to January 14th, meaning he has already missed the required seven days and can be activated at any time once he’s cleared to return.

This is the second recall of the season for Pettersson, who has no relation to his namesake in Vancouver’s forward group.  The 20-year-old was a third-round pick by Vancouver back in 2022 and he’s in his first full season in North America.  Through 36 games in the minors, he has a goal and 12 assists and is still looking to make his NHL debut after his initial recall was only for one day.

As for Karlsson, the 25-year-old has been productive when available in Abbotsford.  He’s their only forward averaging more than a point per game as he has 12 goals and six assists through 17 outings at the AHL level.  That comes on the heels of a 2023-24 campaign that saw him collect 60 points in as many games.  Despite his success in the minors, NHL opportunities have been limited thus far for Karlsson.  He has just six games at the top level, two of which have come this season where he has been held off the scoresheet in a little over ten minutes per game.

With these moves, Vancouver’s active roster is now at the maximum of 23 players.

Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Canucks’ Tyler Myers Given Three-Game Suspension

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Jan. 20th: The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued their punishments to McDavid and Myers. Both players have been issued three-game suspensions for cross-checking.

Jan.19th: Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Saturday. Garland grappled with McDavid in the final seconds of Vancouver’s 3-2 win, and McDavid responded by hitting Garland in the face. In the ensuing scrum, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers also cross-checked Oilers defender Evan Bouchard in the face. Myers will also have a hearing with Player Safety. Both McDavid and Myers received match penalties for their infractions. The date and time of either hearing are yet to be determined – as is whether the hearings will be virtual or in-person, which will change the length of suspension both players will be eligible for.

This news brings a peak to McDavid’s recent violent streak. He gained notoriety after, seemingly, inadvertently elbowing Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson in the teams’ January 15th matchup. Johansson was placed on injured reserve with a concussion the next day. McDavid also earned scour with a high-stick against Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek in Saturday’s game, catching the defender up high after breaking into the zone. McDavid’s match penalty for cross-checking Garland was his first in-game penalty for any of these infractions – and, coupled with a game ejection, earned him a career-high 15 penalty minutes in one game.

It will be hard to determine how long either McDavid or Myers could miss with their looming hearing. Both players committed similar infractions, at the tail-end of an already-won game. But nine other players also received penalties for the late-game scrum, which could lead the league to react lighter to two big pieces of a larger scrum. Alternatively, this will be an opportunity for NHL Player Safety to send a message on stick infractions and headshots across the league, by coming down hard on the face of the NHL.

Canucks Recall Mark Friedman In Paper Transaction

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Instead of recalling the recently reassigned Guillaume Brisebois, the Vancouver Canucks have gone in another direction. The Canucks announced they’ve recalled Mark Friedman from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Vancouver is no longer dealing with any injuries to their defensive core indicating there were ulterior motives for Friedman’s call-up. It may be that the Canucks preferred a right-handed shot defenseman or one with more NHL experience to serve as their eighth defenseman.

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J.T. Miller Receiving Interest From Additional Eastern Conference Teams

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Canucks center J.T. Miller remains in Vancouver for now after a reported trade to the Rangers fell through over the weekend. That deal never got close enough for the Canucks to ask Miller to waive his no-movement clause, multiple members of The Athletic’s NHL staff reported Monday, but it did potentially involve New York sending young top-nine center Filip Chytil, pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Lindgren, and multiple “future-focused assets” to Vancouver.

A disagreement on the conditions around the prospective first-round pick was the principal reason the deal fell apart, per The Athletic’s report. It doesn’t mean the Blueshirts are out of the running on Miller entirely, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet told CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal on Monday that the Rangers and Hurricanes are the two likeliest parties to land Miller, who prefers a trade to the Eastern United States. Friedman mentioned the Stars, Devils, and Islanders as interested but less probable outcomes.

If the reported return for the now-nixed trade is a strong blueprint for other potential Miller deals, though, it signals a continued rocky path for the Canucks down the stretch. The total value of what they’re getting isn’t bad – they need short-term help on the blue line, Chytil still has top-six potential when healthy, and the first-round pick will likely be in the teens – but it doesn’t give them a direct replacement for the near point-per-game Miller.

Even amid a down year for J.T. and time missed due to personal leave, he leads Canucks forwards in scoring with 31 points (8 G, 23 A) in 35 games. That’s below expectations, considering he’d averaged 96 points per 82 games over the prior three seasons, but still elite-level production that’s due for a rebound. His 11.8% shooting rate stands as his lowest in 10 years.

If Carolina wins out with a similar return, it would seemingly involve 24-year-old pivot Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who the Canucks demonstrated interest in acquiring when they nearly dealt Elias Pettersson to the Hurricanes last season. He’s likely a lower-value pickup than Chytil, with an iffy $4.82MM cap hit running through 2030 and just 19 points in 46 games this season. The Canes could easily make up for that by giving Vancouver a higher-value defenseman in return than the Rangers can with Lindgren, though.

Canucks Reassign Brisebois, Lekkerimaki In Paper Transaction

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  • The Vancouver Canucks are again making a cap-related transaction on one of their off-days. Vancouver announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Guillaume Brisebois and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Lekkerimaki has been more oft-used by the club this season scoring two goals and one assist in 11 games this year averaging 13:47 of ice time per game.

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Canucks’ J.T. Miller Trade Falls Through, Elias Pettersson Wants To Stay

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The Vancouver Canucks are at an impasse with star forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Both players are amidst deep cold spells, inspired by an off-ice rift and resulting in plenty of trade rumors. The team took one step forward in figuring out their plan with the duo on Saturday when Miller was nearly held out of Vancouver’s lineup to support a trade to the New York Rangers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal fell through and Miller ended up playing in Vancouver’s 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. He contributed two primary points in the effort, his first scoring since he managed four points on January 6th.

Miller’s dwindling impact has become a focal point of Vancouver’s 4-6-0 skid. Head coach Rick Tocchet shared harsh words after benching the forward, insinuating that he had quit on his teammates amid another tough loss. Miller has seen his numbers crater since the calendar turned over. He has seven points in nine games – most among any Canucks forwards – but he only scored in three of those outings. Miller has also posted a 40% goals-for percentage (GF%), the third-lowest of Vancouver’s top-six forwards behind Pettersson (25%) and Jake DeBrusk (33.3%).

While theatrics surround him, Miller is still an incredibly impactful forward. He has 31 points in 35 games this season, putting him on an 82-game pace of 73 points. That would be the lowest scoring Miller has managed in a full season since the 2019-20 campaign when he notched 72 points in his first year with the Canucks. He’s since been red-hot – recording 99 points in 2021-22, 82 points in 2022-23, and a career-high 103 points in 2023-24. No other Canuck has come close to Miller’s 433 points in 399 games since he joined the team, with Quinn Hughes’ 380 points in 401 games and Pettersson’s 375 points in as many games the next closest.

That would be an invaluable impact for the Rangers to acquire. They’re in the midst of their own chaotic season, with similar rifts and trade rumors surrounding longtime Rangers Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. A swap for Miller would likely have to involve one of those two, though Vancouver would need substantially more behind them to warrant moving their team’s top-scoring forward. The Rangers have enticing prospects in the gritty Brennan Othmann and ever-improving Gabe Perreault, but their depth falls quickly thin behind them. Perhaps it was the challenge of figuring out complimentary pieces that ultimately pulled the rug from under the trade talks.

Nonetheless, this news is a sign of progress being made in moving Miller out of Vancouver. He’ll be one of the biggest names to watch as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches on March 7th. Meanwhile, Pettersson is leaning towards sticking with the program that bet on him so many years ago. Vancouver drafted Pettersson fifth-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. He joined the team two seasons later, and won the Calder Trophy for ’Rookie of the Year’ with 28 goals and 66 points in 71 games. He matched the scoring in three fewer games in his following year, after improved on it slightly in year-four after year-three was limited by injuries.

That all set up Pettersson for a smash season in the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored a career-high 39 goals and 102 points. It was the fifth-most a Canucks player has scored since the turn of the century – behind the Sedin twins, Markus Naslund, and Miller. While Miller has taken to dazzling scoring, Pettersson has donned the role of face of the franchise next to Hughes. Vancouver seems poised to hold onto that duo, while trimming off negative impacts, with this latest update.

In one additional note, Friedman also shared that Vancouver sent a clear message to teams to not tamper with their players – and that any teams wishing to talk to Miller or Pettersson would need approval first. It is believed that a few teams have been granted permission to talk with Miller, but none are currently speaking with Pettersson. Both forwards are signed for the forseeable future – Petterson signed through 2031-32 with a $11.6MM cap hit, and Miller signed through 2029-30 with a surprisingly-cheap $8MM price tag.

Trade Activity Heating Up Regarding J.T. Miller

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J.T. Miller and the Vancouver Canucks could be nearing a resolution to the speculated rift between himself and Elias Pettersson. Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reported earlier that although the Canucks haven’t officially asked Miller to waive his no-movement clause, they’ve been involved in plenty of trade activity today regarding Miller.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period added that despite the increased trade chatter surrounding Miller today, he’s still expected to suit up for Vancouver tonight as they’re set to take on the Edmonton Oilers. Neither report mentions any specific teams engaged in these trade talks with the Canucks indicating a deal is still in the very early stages.

Still, it now stands to reason, that absent any additional reporting regarding Pettersson, Miller will be the odd man out in Vancouver. Only time will tell if moving Miller is the best choice moving forward for the Canucks but it’s the easiest one. He’s making $3.6MM less than Pettersson, has less time left on his contract, is more physical, and has recently shown the capability to amass more than 100 points in a given season. Miller is the prototypical forward, so to speak, that any playoff-destined team would love on their roster.

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