Earlier this morning, the Canucks re-assigned Reid Boucher back to the Utica Comets. This was an indication that one of the Canucks’ injured players was ready to return, and all signs pointed towards that player being Sven Baertschi.
The Canucks have announced that Baertschi is officially in, with Nikolay Goldobin being a healthy scratch as a result.
He’s back! Coach Green confirms @SvenBaertschi will play tonight in Montreal. pic.twitter.com/67gEfg5MJM
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 7, 2018
According to Travis Green, Baertschi will play on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight. With the recent emergence of the visible chemistry between Thomas Vanek and Brock Boeser, it’s a wise choice to keep the two together. Further, what better way to get back into game action than playing with the Sedins? Though they’ve been on a slump over the past few games, hopefully a fresh Baertschi can get them back into the groove.
Goldobin has 4 points in the 12 games he’s played since being called up. Some may find it a strange decision to scratch him over the likes of Nic Dowd or Michale Chaput, but Green says more of a positional preference.
TG liked Goldy last night, but he didn’t want to take a centre out of the line-up. Said he had a good chat with 77 today.
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) January 7, 2018
