On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by RinkWide’s Jeff Paterson to preview the preseason ahead of the Vancouver Canucks’ game tonight against the Seattle Kraken.
JPat started with notes on Lekkerimäki and whether or not he has a real shot at making the NHL team this year.
“I’m coming around to the idea that it’s a legitimate opportunity for him,” JPat said. “He had a decent camp, and I love that the Canucks put him in a position to succeed right away with Pettersson and DeBrusk throughout the scrimmage. It’s hard to evaluate who stood out at camp—it’s three days of drills—unless a guy truly cannot keep up. You try to evaluate off the rush when they’re doing the three-on-nones, and you’re drawn to his shot. Without a doubt, he’s got a big-league shot; we already knew that, so for me it was the question of whether he’d be able to read off Pettersson and DeBrusk, and how he looks in battles. All eyes will be on Lekkerimäki; it’s a great opportunity for him to play tonight at Rogers Arena. I think it’s a bit of a stretch for him to make the team, but the way they’ve used him for the first week of camp is an indication that this is an open audition for him.”
The preseason provides new looks for the coaches and management to evaluate, which generally means the rotation of players and lines will change throughout the camp process. JPat took note of one such change coming out of training camp in Penticton:
“It almost feels like Aatu Räty has bumped ahead of a guy like Nils Åman,” he said. “Now, it’s the start of the preseason, so a lot of this is still up in the air, but Räty has been given those same linemates he had before, and Rick Tocchet mentioned Räty this morning, saying he attacks everything he does 100%. He said his speed had increased, which has always been the knock on Räty since he was drafted by the Islanders. I was watching him in camp, and he was able to keep up; he’s not a burner, but it didn’t look like his skating was holding him back at any point in the drills or scrimmage. It’s a bit of a reward for him to get those linemates—Höglander and Garland. You know what you’re going to get; their motors are going to be running, and we’ll see if Räty’s motor can keep up in game action tonight.”
Finally, JPat went over the players he believes have the most at stake heading into Vancouver’s first preseason matchup. The first round of cuts has been completed, and the preseason exhibition matches offer perhaps the best opportunity for bubble guys to strut their stuff.
“In terms of short runways, it’s Sammy Blais on a PTO,” JPat noted briefly. “I’m excited to see Vilmer Alriksson in an NHL environment; he had a good Young Stars. We saw what we often see with junior-age guys who get to main camp and go against players who have been there for a while: that time and space that’s there in Young Stars is taken away. The fact he made the first round of cuts and is getting to suit up in an NHL game is a bone the Canucks wanted to throw to this guy, but the stakes aren’t high; we know he’s going back to junior. Defenceman Elias Pettersson—if people thought ‘D-Petey’ was going to be a surprise and make the Canucks out of camp, they misread the writing on the wall. This is a 20-year-old who needs to adjust to life in North America, smaller rinks; he needs a year in Abbotsford. It’s getting crunchy now around that 13th forward spot with all the guys battling, and who knows what the Canucks are going to do with the roster. I don’t think it’s a lock. Guys like Nils Åman and Nils Karlsson certainly can’t take their spots for granted, so even on night one of the preseason, those guys have a lot to play for.”
You can watch the full segment below:
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