Canucks’ Allvin provides injury updates on Brock Boeser and Jonathan Lekkerimäki

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced on Saturday that winger Brock Boeser will not be playing against the Edmonton Oilers due to an upper-body injury.

Boeser suffered the injury midway through the first period of Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings when Tanner Jeannot hit Boeser in the head. Boeser needed assistance from the trainer on the ice, but left to the dressing room under his own power. Jeannot received a match penalty in the game for the hit, as well as a three-game suspension.

As of right now, Boeser’s timeline for return remains unknown, as according to Allvin, they’re still evaluating the injury. However, it is guaranteed that Boeser will not play on Saturday against the Oilers.

Boeser was off to a great start to the season, with 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points in 12 games. He is in the final year of his three-year contract with a $6.65 million cap hit, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Allvin also provided an update on winger Dakota Joshua, saying that the team is hopeful that he can return sometime during the team’s upcoming six-game homestand. Joshua has missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season so far after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer, as he’s needed time to recover from the surgery to remove the tumour.

Allvin also mentioned that there was still no timeline for Thatcher Demko’s return. Demko has been out since Game 1 of the Canucks’ first round series against the Nashville Predators with a knee injury, and even with a full summer to recover, he has yet to return to action. However, he has been taking shots in practice this week, and according to Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, he could be back by the end of November.

Allvin also told the media that winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki tweaked something, although he didn’t specify where, and said that Lekkerimaki won’t play for the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday. Lekkerimäki was apparently a likely candidate to call up to Vancouver to replace Boeser, but with the injury, that might delay that opportunity. He has 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points in 7 games with Abbotsford so far this season.

The Canucks will look to continue their three-game winning streak when they host the Oilers on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST. Vancouver currently sits in third in the Pacific Division with a 7-2-3 record.