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Canucks Shuffle Goaltending Staff

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The Canucks are the second team Wednesday morning to announce a new goaltending coach. Marko Torenius is now in the role after serving as the goalie coach for their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford for the past two seasons. Ian Clark, who was the Canucks’ goalie coach and director of goaltending, will reduce his responsibilities as a goalie scout and development coach, the team said.

Torenius, 47, accumulated a lengthy overseas résumé before arriving in North America in 2022. He spent parts of seven seasons with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League as their goalie coach, winning Gagarin Cup championships in 2015 and 2017. During his tenure in the Russian metropolis, he oversaw NHL-caliber netminders such as Yaroslav Askarov, Magnus Hellberg, Pyotr Kochetkov, Mikko Koskinen, and Igor Shesterkin.

Before joining SKA, Torenius was the long-time team manager and goalie coach for Blues in his native Finland, twice finishing as a runner-up to the SM-liiga title. He also worked with Koskinen during his stop there.

During his time in Abbotsford, Torenius has overseen the development of 2019 sixth-rounder Arturs Silovs. After an admirable postseason performance, he projects to be on Vancouver’s opening-night roster this fall. Silovs was Abbotsford’s starter under Torenius for the past two seasons and has a 2.62 GAA, .906 SV%, nine shutouts, and a 45-30-11 record in 89 career AHL games.

The announcement also ends Clark’s second stint as the Canucks’ goalie coach. The Vancouver native previously held the role from 2002 to 2010, holding jobs with the Blue Jackets and Sweden’s MODO Hockey before returning to his home city in 2019. Internationally, the 58-year-old has won three gold medals as the goalie coach of the Canadian national junior team, winning three straight WJCs from 2005 to 2007.

Canucks Testing Goalie Market Amid Thatcher Demko’s Injury

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The Canucks are on the hunt for some short-term goalie help on the trade and UFA market, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal said on Sportsnet 650 Tuesday. That’s because star starter Thatcher Demko is healing slower than expected from the knee injury he sustained early in their first-round series against the Predators and still isn’t 100%, per Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said it’s unclear if Demko has undergone surgery to address the knee injury, and Vancouver has been concerned about the pace of his rehab as far back as the draft in June.

This storyline comes after information about Demko’s return timeline varied wildly throughout the postseason. Multiple reports stated he’d only be out for one series, while others said he would be shut down for the season. The team never officially ruled him out, instead continuously listing him as week-to-week, but he never did return to the lineup after recording a win in Game 1 against the Predators.

The Canucks were also rumored to be sniffing around for a veteran name to supplement their crease and provide competition for emerging youngster Arturs Silovs around the draft and free agency, but that never came to fruition. Last year’s No. 2 option, Casey DeSmith, wasn’t brought back and signed a three-year deal with the Stars. Vancouver’s only notable offseason addition between the pipes was former Golden Knights prospect Jiri Patera, who’s meant as a No. 3/4 option behind Silovs.

Those rumblings will get louder now with Demko’s status uncertain. The most clear-cut addition for the Canucks would be Kevin Lankinen, the top goalie left on the UFA market. His time as a Predator ended at the hands of Vancouver last season, and he remains unsigned after Nashville opted to sign Scott Wedgewood to replace him as Juuse Saros’ backup. The 29-year-old Finn was an above-average backup during his two years in Tennessee but was sparsely used, posting a 20-14-1 record and .912 SV% in 35 starts and eight relief appearances. Still, he’d be a cheap pickup, certainly not more than the $2MM he made last year after waiting for this late into August to sign.

Some other notable veteran UFA options include Martin Jones and Antti Raanta, but both are significantly older than Lankinen and have a much higher potential for age-related regression. Jones is coming off a resurgent year as the third-stringer for the Maple Leafs, but Raanta’s typically strong but injury-plagued play collapsed last season with a .872 SV% in 24 games for the Hurricanes.

On the trade market, funnily enough, Nashville might be one of their first calls. Top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov has reportedly submitted a trade request to the club, but it’s a situation that could potentially be resolved if they decided to flip Scott Wedgewood, who signed a two-year, $3MM contract with the club on July 1st. He’s spent the last three seasons in the Dallas Stars organization, though he sat out much of the 2021-22 campaign. Wedgewood has played in 53 games over the two seasons since, posting 15 wins and a collective .907 save percentage behind Jake Oettinger. He’s poised to fill the same role in Nashville – ceding a majority of starts to a proven starter and limiting Askarov’s chance at the NHL ice time he’s searching for. With Nashville facing a formal trade request from one of the league’s top goalie prospects, the Canucks could benefit from timing, and reel in another hardy backup to help fill time before Demko’s return – a situation akin to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s platooning while Andrei Vasilevskiy missed time last season.

The Canucks may be able to offer that upside in the short-term, but it’ll be hard to move too far from Demko, who’s risen to prominency as he’s taken over Vancouver’s top role. That growth peaked this season, with Demko ranking second in Vezina Trophy after posting a .918 through 51 appearances. He’s signed at a $5MM cap hit through the next two seasons and is likely to hang onto Vancouver’s starting crease through any new additions. That strings out a tight-rope the Canucks will need to walk, as they make the decision between a lofty goalie trade, a free agent signing, or leaning on unproven backups.

Oilers Acquire Vasily Podkolzin From Canucks

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The Edmonton Oilers have acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for the Ottawa Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick. Edmonton acquired the pick alongside Roby Jarventie earlier this summer, in exchange for sending Ottawa forwrards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson.

The timing of this deal can’t be ignored. Edmonton recently received two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues, who are looking to steal away forward Dylan Holloway and defender Philip Broberg. The pair of offer sheets totals $6.87MM – a very difficult pill to swallow for an Oilers team already $8.225MM over the cap ceiling, not including potential long-term injured reserve. While an Oilers trade seemed imminent, this swap is far from what many were expecting – as Edmonton reels in a former top prospect and potential Holloway replacement.

If Podkolzin truly donns that title is yet to be seen. He proved a controversial pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, rounding out what was a loaded Top 10 after fighting his way into KHL ice time. Podkolzin stayed in Russia for two seasons after his draft selection, continuing to grow in a KHL role before moving directly into a middle-six role with the Canucks in 2021. He was productive as a rookie, appearing in 79 games and managing 14 goals and 26 points. But he’s struggled to hold onto that scoring in the years since, totaling just nine points across his last 58 NHL games. That belabored production has earned Podkolzin the first AHL games of his career, to some success. He’s scored 46 points in 72 minor-league games over the last two seasons – enough to earn routine call-ups back to the NHL, but not enough to inspire much excitement.

But that could be set to change in Edmonton. Podkozlin flaunted plenty of skill during his brief KHL career, but struggled to instill much tempo into the offense. That’s perhaps the thing the Oilers do best, largely thanks to just how talented Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bring to the table. Holloway wasn’t getting much ice time with those superstars as he looked to establish his footing in the NHL, but Edmonton has shown a preference for icing shoot-first bruisers, like Connor Brown or Klim Kostin, with McDavid. Podkolzin stands at a similar frame to Holloway, but has built a bit more of knack for physicality as he’s cut his teeth in the minor leagues. A move to the Oilers offense will represent a chance to start over – potentially filling a recently departed role as the lineup’s young, high-upside winger.

Could Oilers Be A Landing Spot For Poolman's Contract?

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With the Oilers needing to clear up some cap space to accommodate the offer sheets tendered to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway this week, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province wonders if the Canucks might be able to help in that regard.  Vancouver blueliner Tucker Poolman has played just three games over the last two seasons combined due to concussion issues and was on LTIR for all of 2023-24.  He has one year left on his contract but isn’t expected to play, meaning he’ll remain LTIR-eligible for the upcoming season.

The Canucks aren’t believed to want to incentivize a team to take that contract off their books but with his $2.5MM AAV coming close to Brett Kulak’s $2.75MM, perhaps there’s a basis for a swap.  Vancouver would likely have to add in that package, allowing Edmonton to get an asset in return instead of potentially having to part with one to clear a blueliner.  The Oilers would then be able to utilize Poolman and Evander Kane on LTIR, reducing the imminent need to free up any more cap room while Vancouver would get an NHL roster player in return for someone whose playing days are over.  It’s an odd idea on the surface but perhaps it becomes a palatable one before Edmonton has to decide on matching the offer sheets by Tuesday’s deadline.

Allvin: Canucks Wanted To Keep Lindholm, Couldn't Afford Him

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One of the free agents that the Canucks lost in free agency this summer is center Elias Lindholm.  Acquired early in the season from Calgary, the veteran ultimately inked a seven-year, $54.25MM contract with Boston.  In an interview with Hockeysverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist, GM Patrik Allvin indicated that Vancouver tried to keep the 29-year-old but ultimately couldn’t afford to bring him back.  Lindholm is coming off a down season that saw him notch just 44 points in 75 games (after putting up 64 and 82 points in the prior two years) but given the high demand and low supply of centers, he was able to land another long-term agreement at a considerable raise.  Ultimately, Vancouver elected to fill Lindholm’s salary slot with a pair of former Boston wingers in Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.

Abbotsford Signs Two To AHL Deals

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  • The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford announced the signings of forward Zach Okabe and defenceman Zach Berzolla to one-year deals. Okabe turned pro late last season after wrapping up his college career with a 24-point effort at St. Cloud State and got into nine games with AHL Cleveland, recording three points.  Berzolla, meanwhile, has spent the majority of his four professional campaigns in the ECHL but did get into 17 games with AHL Hartford last season.

Abbotsford Canucks Make Several Staff Hires

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  • The Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, made several staff hires today according to a team announcement. The team brought in Harry Mahesh as an assistant coach, Andrew Shaw as a video coach, and Ross MacEluch as an assistant athletic therapist. Mahesh is the most significant hire of the group as he previously served as a development coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs last year.

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Canucks Hopeful That Nils Aman Can Take The Next Step

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Calgary Flames defenseman Yan Kuznetsov believes that he will take a big step in his development this upcoming season and is hoping a change to his training will allow him to do so (as per Flames writer Chris Wahl). The 22-year-old was re-signed to a one-year, two-way deal by the Flames yesterday after making his NHL debut last season, dressing in one game for Calgary. The former second-round pick believes that he is entering next season in the best shape of his career and is hoping that by being in tune with his body it will better allow him to use his size to his advantage as he pushes for an NHL roster spot with the Flames.

In other news from around the NHL:

  • Edmonton Oilers announcer Bob Stauffer tweeted about the Oilers’ current offer sheet conundrum with defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway. The Oilers are currently on the clock after the St. Louis Blues issued a pair of offer sheets and have one week to match the offers or lose the players for draft pick compensation. Stauffer outlines in his tweet that if the Oilers elect to match the lucrative offer sheets, they will have to keep Broberg and Holloway for at least a year, which could be challenging given that they will need to issue lucrative extensions to Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard next summer.
  • The MSG Network has announced that New York Rangers television play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen will retire after the upcoming NHL season. The 77-year-old is entering his 40th year calling Rangers games full-time after he began calling New York games on the radio for MSG, filling in for Marv Albert. He then pivoted to becoming MSG’s studio host before moving into his current role as the Rangers’ primary television broadcaster in 1984.
  • Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin spoke with Swedish network hockeysverige.se about Nils Åman and the contract extension he gave the center this past season. The 24-year-old signed a two-year deal worth $825K per season and proceeded to post three goals and four assists in 43 NHL games this past year. Allvin mentioned that he was impressed by Åman’s finish to the season and felt that he had become more assertive on the ice and played with more of an edge. Allvin added that he was hopeful that Åman would continue to develop this summer and build off the success he had in the second half.

Canadian Notes: Matthews, Konyushkov, Lekkerimäki

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The Toronto Maple Leafs began discussions of changing captains around the time of this season’s exit interviews, following the team’s perennial first-round loss to the Boston Bruins, shared TSN’s Chris Johnston on SportsCentre. Johnston added that conversations continued through the summer until John Tavares reached a point where he was comfortable handing off the leadership role to Auston Matthews. A formal announcement is expected to come on Wednesday morning.

Matthews – the undisputed star of the modern Leafs – will adorn the ’C’ after serving five seasons as one of the team’s alternate captains. He received that honor ahead of his fourth season in the NHL, after posting 111 goals and 205 points through his first 212 career games, including the NHL’s first 40-goal rookie season since Alex Ovechkin managed 52 in 2006. He’s reached even greater heights since donning a letter, scoring 60 goals in 2021-22 and 69 goals this season – becoming just the eighth NHLer to break the 60-goal ceiling more than once. He’ll look to continue stamping his place among the NHL’s legends with another boost of confidence from the Toronto brass – taking over the chair of leader in a year of changes for the Leafs, headlined by Craig Berube’s hiring as head coach.

Other notes from across the Great North:

  • The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had much contact with defense prospect Bogdan Konyushkov since his fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, instead leaving him in the capable hands of Igor Larionov, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and the head coach of the KHL’s HC Torpedo, where Konyushkov has played since 2022. The player summed up his current state of affairs to Daria Tuboltseva of Russian news outlet Responsible Gaming, saying, “We don’t communicate with Montreal very often. I spoke with the Russian scout after the season once, we just chatted, and they asked me how my season went.” He continued by speaking on a shoulder injury that required surgery after the season. Konyushkov still managed a commendable 28 points in 65 games despite injury and even served as Torpedo’s captain, despite being only 21-years-old. He’s a promising player with exciting years ahead, though he’s shared he’ll first play out the remaining two years on his KHL contract.
  • Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin had a productive sit down with David Quadrelli of the Canucks Army where he, among other things, shared that the team doesn’t want to rush top propsect Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Allvin said, “It will be interesting to see [Lekkerimäki] at camp when everything kicks off. After that, it’s up to him where he will end up… We need to respect his age and experience as well, so there’s no rush—when he is physically and mentally ready, Jonathan will show where he wants to be.” Lekkerimäki will be one of many Canucks prospects vying for a top role after winning the SHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award last season with 31 points in 46 games.

Canucks Will Likely Target Right-Handed Center At Trade Deadline

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  • In an article last week from Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Subscription Required), he opines that the Vancouver Canucks will undoubtedly be looking for a right-handed center at next year’s trade deadline. Depending on how the season plays out, that could put Vancouver in the market for veteran Claude Giroux who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Giroux has a full no-movement clause from the Ottawa Senators on his current contract so he will need to green-light any move out of the organization. If Giroux is unwilling to head out West, the Canucks could look to go after Nick Bjugstad of the Utah Hockey Club or Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens.

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