In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, Arshdeep Bains makes his NHL debut. Meanwhile, Phil Kessel continues to work out with the club’s American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Abbotsford Canucks. Also, an update on Dakota Joshua and his hand injury.
Bains Makes Canucks Debut
Bains made his Canuck debut against the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 20. The forward skated alongside Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger as Joshua remains out of the lineup due to a hand injury. Bains played well in his first NHL game, setting up multiple scoring chances and matching up with the Avalanche’s top players Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
“Throughout my whole life, I kind of just putting my foot in the door at every level I get to. It’s no different here,” Bains said. “It’s been a heck of a journey so far. I’m pretty excited to see where it goes.”
The Surrey, B.C. native grew up a fan of the club. He went undrafted in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the NHL. However, the Canucks signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022 during a season where he led the WHL in points with 43 goals and 112 points in 68 games. Bains talked about playing for his childhood team before his debut.
“That’s every kid’s dream to play for their hometown team. It’s nothing short of that. I think I’ll be ready to go if that time comes,” Bains said. “It’s really special.”
Bains showed he could be a reliable option for the Canucks, even if the organization decides to send him back to Abbotsford. However, if he continues to play as well as he did against Colorado, he’ll remain a part of the main roster until the end of the season.
Canucks Continue to Work Kessel Out
Rick Dhaliwal reported the Canucks will continue to work out Kessel this week. The forward will continue to try and pass checkpoints on and off the ice, and the process will take time. He added there aren’t any plans for Kessel to play in an AHL game this week.
The Canucks could sign Kessel after the forward finishes his workout in Abbotsford. The organization brought him in last week and had him participate in practice, where the forward looked exhausted. Kessel hasn’t played a game in around seven to eight months.
Signing the forward could be big for the locker room and the club’s depth. Conor Garland, in particular, seemed excited at the potential of having Kessel join the club.
“I played with Phil for a while,” Garland said. “[He’s] one of my close friends, so I’m just excited. I’ll probably go see him tomorrow in Abbotsford.
“It’s more of just, I’m glad to see someone who is so good hopefully get another chance. He deserves a shot in this league, and he’s a three-time (Stanley) Cup winner and a Hall of Famer, and I think he deserves to play. We’ll see what happens, but I’m just happy for him.”
Related: What Could Phil Kessel Bring to the Vancouver Canucks?
Garland played with Kessel during the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Meanwhile, Tocchet coached Kessel with the Coyotes and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Canucks Make a Few Roster Moves
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced multiple roster moves made to the club’s roster. The organization placed Joshua on retroactive injured reserve while placing Carson Soucy on retroactive long-term injured reserve. Also, the club recalled defenceman Jett Woo from Abbotsford.
Calling up Woo could be a sign of another defenceman missing the Canucks’ next game against the Seattle Kraken. Both Nikita Zadorov and Noah Juulsen were hurt at different points in the Feb. 20 game against the Avalanche but remained in the game. If both are out, Woo could see NHL action.
Canucks Power Play and Penalties Factoring in On Losing Streak
The Canucks are on a three-game losing streak. The club gave up two goals power-play goals against the Winnipeg Jets before giving up two goals in the third period of a 2-2 tied game. Next, the club blew a 5-2 lead after the Minnesota Wild had four 5-on-3 power plays. The Canucks lack of discipline has hurt the club’s play, as both the losses against the Jets and Wild resulted from power-play goals against. Additionally, the club’s power play has struggled.
Against the Avalanche, the Canucks’ power play struggled to finish despite the team playing well at 5-on-5. Furthermore, the club has scored three goals in 27 power play opportunities, giving them an 11.1 power play percentage. The club will need to figure out their power play struggles and lack of discipline in the final stretch of the 2023-24 regular season before the playoffs start.