On Saturday morning, ahead of their match against the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announce the club has recalled forwards Nils Åman and Arshdeep Bains.
These spots became open on the Canucks roster after the last few days. Brock Boeser was ruled day-to-day with an upper-body injury after a dirty hit from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot – which earned him a three-game suspension – and on Friday evening, the Canucks traded struggling forward Daniel Sprong to the Seattle Kraken.
Åman was just placed on waivers less than a week ago, and fortunately for the Canucks, he cleared and reported to Abbotsford. During his short AHL stint, Åman spent most of his time centring the top line alongside Jonathan Lekkerimäki and his call-up mate Bains. In those two games, the 24-year-old registered two assists, two shots on goal, and four penalty minutes but had a minus-four rating.
The 6’2″ Swedish forward suited up in four games up in Vancouver this season, recording two assists with a minus-one rating with two shots on goal, averaging 10:28 but just a 40.9% faceoff percentage. Throughout his three-year NHL career, Åman has played 115 games, scoring four goals and 18 assists for 25 points with a minus-16 rating in 11:44 minutes of ice time. When the centreman is in the lineup, he is a trusted member of the penalty kill who takes the puck away more than he gives it up.
Bains has been an inspiring story for this Canucks team. The Surrey, B.C., native scored his first NHL goal earlier this season on a pass off the pads from Sprong against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which turned out to be the eventual game-winning goal. Last season, Bains suited up in eight games in Vancouver, finishing with zero points and a minus-five rating. Bains’ next game will match last year’s feat, just 13 games into the 2024-25 season.
According to lines at morning skate, both players are slated to draw into tonight’s lineup – on the fourth line, centred by Aatu Räty – against the Oilers as they look to get their redemption after last year’s Stanley Cup playoff game seven lost.