The Canucks host the Flames on Friday to cap their pre-season, however a trio of roster dilemmas stay.
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The Vancouver Canucks have till Monday to set their opening evening NHL roster, two days earlier than they begin to play for actual, first in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers subsequent Wednesday at Rogers Enviornment.
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Many of the roster is ready, however a couple of variables nonetheless stay for head coach Rick Tocchet and his employees.
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Let’s check out these questions, forward of Friday evening’s pre-season finale at Rogers Enviornment in opposition to what’s anticipated to be a full-strength Calgary Flames lineup.
Shaking out the strains and defence pairings
The highest finish of the lineup is nearly set, however there are a couple of lingering particulars.
It’s apparent that Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko will begin the season because the Canucks’ first-line centre and proper winger, however who will be a part of them to begin at left wing? Anthony Beauvillier? The winger frolicked on the highest line final season after coming over from the New York Islanders within the Bo Horvat commerce, however he has bounced round slightly in pre-season.
Canucks Report
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He and Nils Höglander have swapped spots a pair instances between the Pettersson line and left wing on the doubtless third line, which goes to function centre Pius Suter and proper winger Conor Garland.
Ilya Mikheyev, when he’s cleared to play, may also be an choice to play left wing on both of those two strains.
In between these two strains on the lineup card is J.T. Miller’s second line, which appears virtually sure to begin with the hard-working, hustling Phil Di Giuseppe on the left wing and Brock Boeser on the appropriate. Boeser, who’s coming off two emotionally-difficult seasons, is hoping to rediscover his scoring contact after netting simply 18 objectives, the bottom whole of his profession (outdoors of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season).
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After Tocchet referred to as out Dakota Joshua’s effort final week, the banging winger has cranked up his recreation and appears to have re-secured his winger spot on the Canucks’ fourth line. Teddy Blueger will centre the road, with both Nils Åman or Jack Studnicka on the opposite wing.
However whichever of Åman or Studnicka that loses out on this equation could not discover themselves even within the NHL to begin the season — they could must be re-assigned to the AHL to begin. Åman doesn’t want waivers, however Studnicka does.
When will Mikheyev be prepared?
This Åman-Studnicka dilemma has to do with Ilya Mikheyev’s well being.
In the intervening time, he’s on injured reserve, which implies he doesn’t take up a roster spot. However his wage nonetheless counts in opposition to the cap, and the best way the Canucks’ cap hits add up, there received’t be room to have a full 23-man roster to begin the season, even when Mikheyev is on injured reserve.
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The speedy Russian is sort of able to return to motion, simply over eight months since he had surgical procedure to restore the broken anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which he partially tore within the first recreation of the 2022 preseason.
Tocchet mentioned Wednesday that Mikheyev, who nonetheless managed to attain 13 objectives whereas taking part in in 46 video games on his bum knee final season, received’t play Friday within the pre-season finale and will not be prepared for subsequent week’s common season opener.
“He’s within the pushing mode now, so we’ll simply ramp it up,” mentioned Tocchet. “He’s monitoring in the appropriate course. The opener (Wednesday) I’m unsure about. We’re going day-by-day with the pushing and shoving.
“He has bought to get slightly bit extra when there’s lots of people round and he’s bought to vary instructions and work on getting hit. That’s the following course of.”
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It stands to cause even when he’s not able to go subsequent Wednesday, he’ll return to the lineup someday on the season-opening highway journey, pushing a ahead to the press field.
Who would be the defenceman on the skin trying in?
The Mikheyev-Studnicka-Åman equation may be affected by what number of defencemen the Canucks select to begin the season with: seven or eight.
Of the 9 defencemen nonetheless in camp, solely rookie Cole McWard is waivers-exempt.
Typically, groups prefer to maintain eight defencemen to begin their season, so one among Guillaume Brisebois — who Tocchet has spoken glowingly about — Christian Wolanin — who has some offensive abilities, separating him from the group — Noah Juulsen — who has a tough edge and shoots proper — and McWard shall be odd man out.
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If Tocchet and his employees select to maintain solely two, then the additional from the Åman-Studnicka query wouldn’t must go to the AHL.
May a commerce repair all this?
Certain. And the Canucks have been poking round different concepts for awhile. So don’t be stunned if all this pondering is meaningless earlier than subsequent Wednesday.
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