Canucks recall Kenins, reassign Pedan

The Vancouver Canucks have shuffled up the roster ever so slightly today, recalling forward Ronalds Kenins from the Utica Comets while reassigning defenceman Andrey Pedan.

The move comes following Pedan’s NHL debut against the LA Kings. He picked up no points, no shots on goal, attempted a shot, threw two hits, blocked a shot, and played about four minutes. That’s an extremely short night overall, but the catch is what creates sensibility; he played forward, which is decidedly not his natural position.

Short on players up front, the Canucks made do with the options they had and put Pedan on a line with Alex Burrows and Adam Cracknell. While he didn’t look awful while doing so, it’s clearly not what they have in their long term plans for the 22-year-old Russian. He’ll return to Utica, where he has a goal and six assists through fifteen games.

Kenins, a 24-year-old Latvian, comes up with a little bit of NHL experience. Last season, he played in 35 regular season and playoff games with the Canucks, notching five goals and nine assists. He spent most of this time paired with Bo Horvat and Jannik Hansen, and it’s certainly possible that he reunites with Horvat again, dependant on how the lines re-align.

Kenins has yet to find the back of the net this year. In seven games with the Comets, he’s picked up a single assist, picked up on November 25th; his first game back after leaving Utica’s game on October 23rd with a knee injury.

His first NHL game of the season could come as soon as tomorrow when the Canucks take on the Dallas Stars.