Vancouver Canucks defenceman Guillaume Brisebois likely out for rest of season with injury

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet provided injury updates for a pair of his defencemen after Wednesday’s practice at Rogers Arena.

Most notably, Tocchet indicated that the Canucks will likely go the rest of the 2022-23 season without the services of Guillaume Brisebois, who hasn’t played since Mar. 31 against the Calgary Flames.

“[Brisebois] probably won’t be back. It’s probably a week-to-week thing,” Tocchet said, noting that the 25-year-old defender sustained the injury by taking a puck to the face.

Tocchet did not offer any specifics on the status of defenceman Christian Wolanin beyond saying that he skated “the other day.” Wolanin, 28, hasn’t played since Mar. 23 against the San Jose Sharks.

 

The Canucks originally selected Brisebois in the third round (No. 66 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The six-foot-two defenceman, who shoots left, has three points (including his first NHL goal) while averaging 16:32 in 17 games with the Canucks this season.

A fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2015, Wolanin made his NHL debut with the club in the 2017-18 season and spent parts of four seasons with the club before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2021. He joined the Canucks as a free agent last summer and represented Abbotsford in the AHL All-Star Classic before being recalled to Vancouver for the stretch drive.

The Canucks currently rank sixth in the Pacific Division with a 34-36-7 record and 75 points through 77 games this season. Although they’re set to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, the Canucks will still look to put their best foot forward as they return to action at Rogers Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.