Canucks activate Mikheyev and Myers off IR, assign Juulsen to AHL

The Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Ilya Mikheyev and defenceman Tyler Myers off injured reserve, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.

In a corresponding move, the Canucks assigned defenceman Noah Juulsen to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

Both Mikheyev and Myers will be eligible to make their season debuts with the Canucks against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday evening.

Mikheyev, 28, signed a four-year contract with the Canucks as an unrestricted free agent this past summer. His deal carries an average annual value of $4.75 million.

In 53 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2021–22 regular season, Mikheyev scored 21 goals and 32 points. He added two goals and four points in seven playoff games with the Maple Leafs in the spring.

Myers, 32, is entering his fourth season with the Canucks after signing a five-year, $6 million-AAV deal with the club in 2019. He scored one goal and 18 points in 82 games with the Canucks last season.

In 840 career NHL games with Buffalo, Winnipeg, and Vancouver over 13 regular seasons, Myers has amassed 87 goals and 325 points. The 6’8″, 229-pound defender averaged 21:59 per game with Vancouver in 2021–22, good for second on the team behind Quinn Hughes and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The Canucks have gotten off to a disappointing 0–3–0 start in 2022–23, becoming the first team in National Hockey League history to blow multi-goal leads and ultimately lose in regulation in three consecutive games to start a season.

Juulsen, 25, logged 10:49 in the Canucks’ 6–4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday. The Surrey, BC product also appeared in eight games with the Canucks last season, recording two assists.

The Canucks have yet to play at home this season and won’t take to the ice for a game at Rogers Arena until Oct. 22, when they play host to the Buffalo Sabres. They’ll continue their season-opening five-game road trip on Tuesday evening when they visit the Blue Jackets at 4:00 p.m. PT.