It’s that time of year again. The NHL season has finally begun in earnest, which means it’s time for Canucks Army staff to agonize over waiver-wire minutia. 

There was a flurry of activity earlier this week that saw former top prospects like Seth Griffith, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Vancouver’s own Emerson Etem plucked off the waiver wire. Today, Montreal elected to place a player of similar calibre in Sven Andrighetto on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the AHL St. John’s IceCaps. 

Andrighetto was selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the 86th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft after a stellar 98-point campaign for the Rouyn-Nouranda Huskies of the QMJHL. Despite having respectable seasons in the Swiss National League B and the QMJHL respectively, Andrighetto was passed over in his first two years of eligibility, likely due to concerns about his size. 

Upon being assigned to Montreal’s AHL affiliate, Andrighetto quickly made a name for himself as one of the Canadiens’ best forward prospects. In his rookie AHL season, Andrighetto finished second in scoring on a very mediocre Hamilton Bulldogs team, and even earned a brief call-up with the Canadiens. Last season, he split time between the NHL and the minors, scoring 17 points in 44 games with Montreal, 

 

Anrighetto acquitted himself very well over his half-season stint with the Canadiens. Averaging just 13 or so minutes a night, he scored at roughly the rate of a second-line winger, and had a positive relative possession impact on a plethora of differing linemates. 17 points in 44 games may not look like much, but it’s impressive considering how little ice time he was allotted by coach Michel Therrien and how much time he spent bouncing up and down from the AHL as well as within Montreal’s lineup. 

The Canucks may have a logjam at forward at the moment, but not so much so that they can’t accommodate a player of Sven Andrighetto’s pedigree. He’s likely already a better option on the wing than either of Jack Skille or Derek Dorsett, and he’s younger and cheaper, too. This organization has already shown a willingness to take on strong AHL producers that haven’t quite lived up to their billing at the NHL level, and Sven Andrighetto fits the bill. Given what he’s already shown in his limited time with the Canadiens, he’s a good bet to help the team meet it’s short and long-term goals, something that’s difficult to find on waivers. At 5’10”, he’s a little undersized, but his speed would go a long way toward replacing what they lost in Emerson Etem. 

The Canucks’ system is very top-heavy at the moment when it comes to prospects, and adding Andrighetto would immediately vault him to the top of the list of their most promising young forwards. Then again, I would have said exactly the same thing about Teemu Pulkkinen, so to say that I’m not entirely sure what the Canucks’ plan is right now would be an understatement. With that in mind, I’d imagine it’s highly unlikely the Canucks put in a claim.