Vancouver Canucks activate defenceman Travis Dermott from long-term injured reserve

The Vancouver Canucks have officially activated defenceman Travis Dermott from long-term injured reserve (LTIR) in time for their Thursday night matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.

The announcement came Thursday afternoon from general manager Patrik Allvin.

The line rushes at practice yesterday and at morning skate today in Winnipeg suggest that Dermott will slot in on the third pairing with Luke Schenn as his partner. Riley Stillman and Kyle Burroughs — the two players who have held down that third LD spot for most of the season — appear as though they’ll both be healthy scratches tonight.

Dermott appeared in 17 games for the Canucks to close out last season, and tallied one goal and an assist. Dermott looked primed to take the spot on the Canucks’ third pairing this season, but went down with a head injury after taking a bump during a preseason practice out at UBC.

After a brief one-game conditioning stint in Abbotsford, Dermott clearly feels he’s ready to go tonight.

It would be a big boost for the Canucks if Dermott can come in and provide steady two-way play from the backend. That spot hasn’t had much consistency this season, as neither Stillman nor Burroughs have really done anything to make that spot undeniably theirs.

Hopefully, Dermott manages to do just that, starting tonight against the Jets.

Puck drop is at 5 PM Pacific from the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

To read our full game preview in today’s scenes from morning skate, click here!