Despite a flu bug that is making the rounds and a firestorm of trade talk swirling around the team, it was a relatively normal day of practice for the Vancouver Canucks on Monday at Rogers Arena.
JT Miller and Tyler Myers were both full participants – which was newsworthy for different reasons.
Both Miller and head coach Rick Tocchet skipped the team’s Dice & Ice charity fundraiser on Sunday due to illness. However, both were back on the ice with the full group today.
Myers practiced after having a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after his match penalty for cross-checking Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard late in Saturday’s 3-2 win.
The Canucks skated in the same line combinations they used to defeat the Oilers. That meant Miller had Pius Suter and Conor Garland on his wings. 
Myers, bracing for a likely suspension, was the extra on defence. Mark Friedman was recalled from AHL Abbotsford on Monday morning and will almost surely draw into the line-up against Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek were split up during Monday’s practice. The coach confirmed that Hronek will have to be prepared to take some shifts without Hughes while Myers is out of the line-up.
Noah Juulsen remains out day to day with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t skated with the group in a week. He is not expected to be ready to play on Tuesday. Dakota Joshua (hip) skated on his own prior to practice and is getting close to rejoining the main group. Joshua has been sidelined since a January 3rd game against Nashville.
With Jonathan Lekkerimäki sent back to Abbotsford over the weekend, the Canucks have just 12 healthy forwards on the roster. Rick Tocchet name-checked both Aaty Räty, the AHL’s Player of the Week, and Linus Karlsson as guys who are playing well on the farm and could be considered for a recall soon. Tocchet suggested the team would likely stick with its current roster through Tuesday’s game against the Sabres.

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on splitting Hughes and Hronek: “Well, it’s not set in stone, but Fil is going to have to play some shifts with some other defence. It’s situational stuff with certain personnel on Buffalo. Huggy might have to play with a different guy in certain situations. When you’ve got some injuries and obviously Mysie’s situation, you have to be prepared for anything.”
Tocchet on emotion at the end of the Oilers game on Saturday: “It’s a good rival. The building was rocking. It was a great game to watch. That’s the intensity we need.”
Tocchet on building off win over Edmonton: “I told this to the group today. We can’t be a ‘once in a while’ team. You have to do it every day. It was the same thing in Toronto. It was a big win and we obviously didn’t come down from it.”
Brock Boeser on all the noise around Canucks all season: “I’ve been through a lot of seasons with this stuff happening, and this might be one of the worst years I’ve been through with all the injuries and distractions and stuff. It’s been hard. But, with that being said, you have to find a way around it and keep working through it and sticking together.”
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