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Canucks Recall Max Sasson

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With the Canucks dealing with more injuries up front with Nils Aman leaving practice early Friday and Nils Hoglander’s availability in question, they’ve added some extra forward depth.  Per the NHL’s Media Site, Vancouver has once again recalled winger Max Sasson from AHL Abbotsford.

It’s the eighth recall of the season for the 24-year-old NHL rookie.  Sasson has played in 24 games with Vancouver this season, collecting two goals and four assists while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of playing time.  However, none of those appearances have come since late January as aside from a brief recall late last month, he has exclusively played in the minors.

Sasson had a strong first professional year in 2023-24, picking up 18 goals and 24 assists in 56 games with Abbotsford.  Despite the frequent travel to and from the big club, he has produced at a similar clip in terms of per-game numbers this year, tallying 10 goals and 17 helpers through 39 AHL appearances.

While not specified, it’s likely that Sasson’s recall will qualify as an emergency one given the uncertainty with the injuries to Raty and Hoglander.  Accordingly, it won’t count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of four.

Canucks Notes: Tocchet, Pettersson, Chytil, Höglander

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Confirming a report from last week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the Vancouver Canucks are firmly committed to Rick Tocchet for the 2025-26 NHL season and beyond. Friedman asserts that Vancouver will extend Tocchet this off-season or utilize their team option for another year.

Tocchet wants to keep his upcoming extension negotiations private, stating, “I am so focused on making the playoffs that I really don’t want to make it about me right now.” In a similar vein, Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor prodded Tocchet about his situation with the Canucks, and he articulated that his only focus was beating the Seattle Kraken tomorrow night. Unless something drastically changes over the next few weeks, it’s all but a guarantee that Tocchet will be back behind the bench for Vancouver next season. 

Despite winning the Jack Adams Award last season, Tocchet will have a difficult time guiding the Canucks back into the postseason for a second consecutive season. Vancouver is six points removed from the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and has significant injury concerns mounting.

According to Harman Dayal of The Athletic, Tocchet shared that Elias Pettersson has skated ’once or twice’ since succumbing to an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on March 22nd, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return for the regular season. Tocchet appeared hopeful regarding Pettersson’s injury status, but they’ll find it increasingly difficult to catch the St. Louis Blues without their top center and third-highest scorer.

Pettersson isn’t the only center the Canucks won’t have either. Batchelor reported earlier that Tocchett believes the “odds are against” Filip Chytil returning this season due to having little consistency in his concussion recovery process. Chytil, who was limited to 10 games last season due to a concussion, hasn’t played for Vancouver since March 15th after receiving a dangerous hit from behind by Chicago Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson.

Per Tocchet’s suggestion, it’s likely Chytil will finish the 2024-25 campaign with 13 goals and 26 points in 56 games, with six of the points coming as a Canuck. He’s signed through the 2026-27 season with a $4.4375MM cap hit.

Still, it’s not all bad news on the injury front in Vancouver. Circling back to the report from Dayal, Tocchet believes Nils Höglander is the closest of the trio to returning. Höglander has been an effective secondary scorer for the Canucks this season, posting six goals and 21 points in 66 games. Höglander similarly exited Vancouver’s recent game against the Rangers in the second period due to an undisclosed injury.

Vancouver Canucks Reassign Arturs Silovs

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Now that Thatcher Demko appears healthy after recording back-to-back wins earlier in the week, the Vancouver Canucks no longer needed three goalies on the roster. The odd-man out is Arturs Silovs, as the Canucks announced they reassigned Silovs back to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, earlier today.

Due to Demko’s recurring injuries throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Silovs has been an oft-called-upon third netminder for Vancouver. He’s doubled his career games total this season, managing a 2-6-1 record in 10 games for the Canucks with a .861 SV% and 3.65 GAA. If the topical save percentage and goals-against average weren’t bad enough, Moneypuck has Silovs ranked 66th out of 72 netminders with 10 or more games played this year with a -10.2 goals saved above expected.

It’s a far cry from his impressive performance in last year’s playoffs. Vancouver tasked Silovs with backstopping the team through the back half of their Round One matchup against the Nashville Predators after Demko and Casey DeSmith fell to injuries. Including a series-deciding shutout in Game Six against Nashville, Silovs helped the Canucks take the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games.

Unsurprisingly, his time in Abbotsford this season has provided better results. Despite being rostered for Vancouver for much of the year, Silovs has posted a 11-4-0 record in 15 games with the AHL Canucks with a .902 SV% and 2.53 GAA. His save percentage has dropped mildly compared to last season, but Silovs has still proved a quality goaltender at the AHL level.

Canucks Expected To Exercise Rick Tocchet's Team Option

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Despite being rumored as a coveted option by the Philadelphia Flyers, there’s little expectation Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet will be available to other teams this summer. In an article from Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription required), a source from inside the Canucks organization has indicated the team will exercise their option on Tocchet’s contract for next season, and are already viewing him as next year’s coach.

There’s no doubting the Canucks’ interest in an extension either. Since taking over for Bruce Boudreau halfway through the 2022-23 season, Vancouver has managed a 104-61-25 record under Tocchet’s stewardship, putting him second in organizational history in points percentage. Additionally, Tocchet helped the Canucks win their first division title since the 2012-13 season, which is even more impressive considering he had to navigate through a murky relationship between the team’s top two forwards at the time, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

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  • Moving back to British Columbia, context has been provided regarding the Canucks’ call-up of Max Sasson earlier this morning. According to Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, forward Teddy Blueger is questionable for tonight’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to the flu. Unfortunately, if his illness were to prohibit him from playing tonight, it would be the first time Blueger has missed a game all season. The consistent bottom-six forward has scored eight goals and 23 points in 72 games with Vancouver this season.

Canucks Recall Max Sasson

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The Canucks announced that they have recalled forward Max Sasson from AHL Abbotsford under emergency conditions. He will give Vancouver a forward to insert into the lineup for tonight’s road game against the Blue Jackets if there’s an unexpected absence. If he doesn’t play, the Canucks must return him to the minors tomorrow. Vancouver’s active roster now stands at 26.

Sasson, 24, gets added to the NHL roster for the seventh time this season, his first recall in nearly two months. Undrafted, the Canucks signed him to an entry-level contract out of Western Michigan in 2023.

At the time, Sasson was coming off a breakout sophomore campaign with the Broncos that saw him post 15-27–42 with a +20 rating in 38 games. The center finished the year with three points in 13 combined regular-season and playoff games for Abbotsford on a tryout before his ELC with the Canucks went into effect for the 2023-24 campaign.

That minimal offensive production wasn’t a sign of things to come for Sasson. In his first professional season, the Michigan native seamlessly transitioned to top-six minutes for Abbotsford, finishing fifth on the team in scoring last year with 18-24–42 in 56 games with a +14 rating. His performance didn’t warrant an in-season call-up, but it did vault him up the depth chart heading into 2024-25.

Sasson’s minor-league offense has dipped slightly this season from 0.75 points per game to 0.70 (9-17–26 in 37 AHL GP). The good news is he’s been a serviceable fourth-line center when called upon by the big club. Through his first 24 NHL appearances, the Michigan native has 2-4–6 with a plus-three rating, averaging 10:06 per game. He’s recorded 13 blocks and 14 hits and averages just over a shot on goal per game. His possession numbers are average, posting a 47.4 CF% at even strength that mirrors the Canucks’ CF% without him on the ice. As expected for a rookie, one area of concern is faceoffs – he’s 26-for-62 on draws, a 41.9% win rate.

At 24 years old, he’s not considered a prospect. Still, he has done enough in his two years in Vancouver to prove himself a reliable call-up option – even giving himself a chance to make the opening night roster next fall as a cheap extra skater. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer. PuckPedia relays he’s owed a qualifying offer of $813,750 and will be eligible for salary arbitration.

Canucks’ Elias Pettersson, Nils Hoglander Out At Least Four Games

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without star centerman Elias Pettersson and top-six winger Nils Hoglander for the remaining four games of their current road-trip per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. Both players missed Vancouver’s team practice on Sunday after each leaving Saturday night’s game with injury. Pettersson exited with roughly five minutes left in the second period. He didn’t appear to sustain an injury, though none of his final five shifts lasted longer than 30 seconds. Hoglander exited with under two minutes left in the second and also didn’t appear injured, though he did get in a choppy stick battle in his final shift. Both players are out with undisclosed injuries.

The Canucks were two games into their second six-game road trip of the season. Pettersson and Hoglander were both pivotal pieces of the lineup in the road trip’s kickoff game against St. Louis on Thursday. Pettersson led all forwards with 20 minutes of ice time and recorded two assists, while Hoglander scored one assist in 17 minutes of ice time. Neither scored in their limited action on Saturday, and Vancouver will now be forced to fill two glaring holes in their top-six.

Rookie Aatu Räty is expected to earn an immediate promotion to the lineup. Räty hasn’t played since January 31st, which was itself a one-off start after not receiving routine NHL minutes since December. He’s appeared in 21 NHL games in total this season, netting just four points split evenly. Räty has been far more productive in the minor leagues, where he leads the Abbotsford Canucks in both total and point-per-game scoring with 39 points in 41 games. The Canucks recalled Räty ahead of Saturday’s game, and he’ll now have a golden chance at hardy minutes with Vancouver away from home for another week.

The Canucks are also carrying rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who has rotated into the NHL lineup throughout March. He’s managed seven appearances and one assist through the month, bringing his season-long totals up to four points in 18 NHL Games. Lekkerimaki has also scored 19 goals and 28 points in 32 AHL games this year. He’s received as little as nine minutes of ice time through his recent stretch in the top flight, though Hoglander’s absence should break open at least a third-line role. Räty and Lekkerimaki could also be beneficiaries of the large chunk of power-play minutes that both Pettersson and Hoglander leave behind.

This will be a great chance for Vancouver’s top prospects to show they can shine. The Canucks will need all the support they can get, as they find themselves five points away from a Western Conference Wild Card with two games in hand. They’ve posted a menial 5-4-1 record over their last 10 games – not enough to get ahead the red-hot, 8-1-1 St. Louis Blues or the productive 5-2-3 record of the Calgary Flames. Even with opportunity at hand, it’s hard to imagine the rookies will live up to Pettersson’s 45 points in 64 games this season, which leads all Canucks forwards. Hoglander’s 21 points in 66 games, and gritty middle-six role, will likely be a bit more acheivable to match.

Canucks Expected To Activate Thatcher Demko

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The Canucks are expected to reinstate goaltender Thatcher Demko from injured reserve today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Vancouver plans to start the netminder for tonight’s Hughes bowl against the Devils.

Demko, 29, was a Vezina Trophy nominee for the first time in 2023-24 but sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of the postseason that ended his campaign. The injury, later revealed to be a complex issue with his popliteus muscle, also kept him on the sidelines through the first two months of 2024-25. Upon returning to the lineup, he wasn’t himself – posting a .881 SV% and a 2-1-3 record in seven starts before briefly exiting the lineup again with a back injury. That one only cost him a couple of starts, and he returned a week later. He logged an improved but still underwhelming .899 SV% in 10 appearances leading into the 4 Nations break.

In Vancouver’s final game before the break, Demko left midway through the first period of his start against the Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since. While unrelated to his popliteus muscle issues, it kept him off the ice for over a month. He only returned to practice as a full participant yesterday, but Friedman reports he’s been doing “a lot of work behind the scenes” in an attempt to return to play as soon as possible for the stretch run.

Demko’s return could make a considerable impact in the Western Conference wild-card race. Back-to-back losses have slashed Vancouver’s playoff chances to 11.3%, per MoneyPuck, now sitting five points back of the Blues with two games in hand, but the Flames are still ahead of them in the catch-up race. While Demko hasn’t been great this year, his season numbers are better than what Kevin Lankinen has given them since the break. After signing a five-year, $22.5MM extension last month, he’s posted a 5-6-1 record and a .885 SV% in 12 appearances. Fatigue has likely played a factor for Lankinen, who’s started 10 of Vancouver’s 11 games in March. His 44 starts and 46 appearances on the year are already career-highs by a significant margin.

Since we’re past the trade deadline, the Canucks won’t need to make a corresponding move to activate Demko from IR. Nonetheless, they’ll presumably return current backup Arturs Silovs to AHL Abbotsford unless they have a desire to carry three goalies.

Thatcher Demko Returns To Practice As Full Participant

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  • Thatcher Demko was a full participant in practice for the first time since being injured six weeks ago, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. Demko suffered a lower-body injury during Vancouver’s 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 8th and has been on injured reserve since. With the Canucks just three points out of the final wild card spot in the west, the potential return of Demko would serve as a key reinforcement down the stretch. However, with just 12 games remaining in their season, it will be interesting to see how long it will take Demko to get the official greenlight to return to play.

Vancouver’s Hoglander And Pettersson Out Day-To-Day

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Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet stated that forwards Nils Hoglander and Elias Pettersson are each day-to-day, per NHL.com reporter Mike Morreale. Tocchet also added that Aatu Raty will likely join the team ahead of their matchup in New Jersey on Monday.

The status of Hoglander and Pettersson for tomorrow’s tilt against the Devils are not known, nor are the exact injuries they sustained. Both were unable to play in the third period of a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday, per an NHL release. Tocchet noted that both were, “pretty sore and banged up, so we’ll see what 24 hours does.” He added that he wasn’t sure if they’d be available against the Devils.

In 66 games, Hoglander has put up 21 points and a plus-6 rating in a bottom-six role. The 24-year-old was Vancouver’s second round choice in the 2019 draft and is coming off of a breakout season where he posted 24 goals and a plus-23 rating. While he hasn’t found that type of offensive success this year, he has established himself as a reliable depth piece for the Canucks moving forward.

Petterson, on the other hand, is clearly a staple to Vancouver’s success. The four-time all-star has posted five seasons with 30-plus goals with the Canucks and has registered 457 points in 471 career games. However, Petterson has struggled this season to the tune of 45 points in 64 games. He has recorded a minus-10 rating and has seen his career-high faceoff percentage of 50.8 last season dip down to 47.5 this year.

Despite Petterson and Hoglander’s dip in offense this season, the Canucks find themselves just three points out of the final wild card spot in the west. The team’s -17 goal differential speaks to their offensive struggles, but a return to health for both players will be key during the stretch run. The Canucks, who have 12 games remaining on the season, are already without center Filip Chytil (upper body).

The Canucks recalled Raty on Sunday in the event Hoglander or Petterson can’t go on Monday. He has appeared in 21 games with Vancouver this season, recording four points. He’s added an impressive 39 points in 41 games in the AHL.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Aatu Räty

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As expected, the Vancouver Canucks have had to make a recall for the injured Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander. Vancouver announced they’ve recalled center Aatu Räty from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Räty’s pathway to the NHL is a well-known story. The Oulu, Finland native was projected to be one of the top players available in the 2021 NHL Draft until a disappointing pre-draft campaign dropped him down to the 52nd overall pick. Although drafted by the New York Islanders, New York traded Räty to the Canucks after only a year and a half of play in the organization.

He spent all of last season with the AHL Canucks, scoring 18 goals and 52 points in 72 games, with another two goals and two assists in six postseason contests. Räty isn’t considered the best forward prospect in Vancouver’s system, but his play last year vaulted him up to a heavily relied-upon depth candidate.

Räty made the Canucks’ roster of training camp this season but was reassigned a few days later on October 16th. Räty has had the highest number of games played this season, with 21 NHL contests under his belt after several recalls. Still, the young forward hasn’t had much responsibility at the NHL level, registering two goals and two assists in those games, averaging 9:30 of ice time.

He’s enjoyed a far more production season in Abbotsford. Räty is the AHL Canucks leading scorer with 17 goals and 39 points in 41 games. Furthermore, it appears Räty will have another opportunity to increase his career-scoring totals in the Calder Cup playoffs with Abbotsford hanging on to third place in the AHL’s hotly-contested Pacific Division.

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