For those of you who don’t know, CanucksArmy’s very own Chris Faber got married over the Thanksgiving long weekend! As a groomsman in said wedding, both of us were a bit busy this past week, which is why you didn’t see any contributions from either of us on the site over the weekend!

Naturally, the Canucks traded for Sam Lafferty, made some roster moves, and look to be preparing for life without Carson Soucy, at least for the next little while. As I settled in on the ferry back to the mainland, I found myself trying to get caught up on everything that happened over the weekend. And then it dawned on me: Not everyone pays attention to the Canucks 24/7 like some of us do, and maybe people who spent the long weekend with their families will be in a similar situation to me!

So without further ado, here’s everything that went down during the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canucksland!

Hands down the biggest news of the weekend, the Canucks jumped at the chance to acquire right shot centre/winger Sam Lafferty from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth round pick.

The Canucks improved their bottom six and penalty killing as a result of the trade, and overall, it seems like a solid trade for the club, who looked to be entering the season with some serious question marks surrounding their secondary scoring.

Chicago dealt Lafferty to Toronto last season as part of a bigger trade involving Jake McCabe and two fifth round picks, with Toronto sending a first and second round pick Chicago’s way.

Through 70 total games last season, Lafferty tallied 12 goals and 15 assists. He’s fast, is a proficient penalty killer, and gives the Canucks’ coaching staff more options. Stylistically, he’s the exact kind of player the Canucks need in their bottom six. We’ll talk more about this trade on the Tuesday and Wednesday episodes of Canucks Conversation.

Don’t expect defenceman Carson Soucy to return to the lineup anytime soon. After falling awkwardly on his leg during the Canucks’ final preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Friday, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters on Sunday that Soucy is going to be out “week-to-week” with a lower body injury.

Soucy sustained his injury on this play after he got tied up with Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich:

Interestingly enough, the Canucks called up Akito Hirose and sent Christian Wolanin down to the AHL. It appears that the Canucks will roll with a defence corps that looks something like this for opening night:

Will the Canucks add another defenceman before opening night on Wednesday?

After the Lafferty trade, the Canucks sent forwards Nils Åman and Jack Studnicka down to the AHL, along with the aforementioned Christian Wolanin. Wolanin and Studnicka both cleared waivers earlier this morning, so any worries about those players going claimed can be put to bed.

Studnicka looked like a man on a mission throughout training camp and the preseason, but there’s little doubt that Sam Lafferty is an overall better player and better fit in the Canucks’ bottom six. As for Åman, the additions of Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger to shore up the Canucks’ centre depth meant Åman was going to be in tough to win a job. The battle for a roster spot went on a little longer than expected thanks to a slow start from Dakota Joshua, but in the end, it’s Åman who finds himself on the outside looking in of the Canucks’ forward group.

The Canucks are expected to release their opening night roster sometime soon, and we’ll have full coverage of that when it drops!

UPDATE: The Canucks have released their opening night roster, and you can read more about it by clicking here.