Jonathan Lekkerimäki has been recalled to the Vancouver Canucks.

At first glance, the reasoning feels simple enough. In just 16 games, he leads the Abbotsford Canucks in goals with 10, has been a dangerous scoring threat nearly every time he steps on the ice, and continues to flash one of the most lethal releases in the organization.

The immediate driver of this promotion was Brock Boeser’s injury, which opened a short-term vacancy in Vancouver’s top six. With the big club mired in one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory, the temptation to inject offence the moment a top-six piece went down is understandable.

Still, if this decision were purely production-based, Lekkerimäki may have earned another look weeks ago. Inside the organization, the message has remained consistent. Individual performances don’t define readiness, and a hot night doesn’t move the needle. So it’s not so much about how many goals Lekkerimäki can score, it’s about whether those performances can be layered together and sustained.

Speaking recently on Sportsnet’s Canucks Central, Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra laid out that foundation clearly.

“The major message for us in Abbotsford is, you know, everybody’s going to have a good game here and there. It’s about having a stretch of games and weeks of good games in a row and months of good games in a row. That’s the consistency that’s going to get you to the new level.”

When it comes to Lekkerimäki, the offence has been real for some time. What’s now beginning to show through his recent stretch is a growing commitment to the peripheral elements of his game.

Lekkerimäki’s earlier NHL stints painted a clear picture. In eight games with the Vancouver Canucks, he averaged just 10:53 of ice time, reached the 15-minute mark only once, and spent most of his shifts buried in a bottom-six role with inconsistent usage on the power play.

Although it may not have translated to much production, — two goals, two assists — the skill was visible, but the trust wasn’t. Malhotra has been direct about what the organization is looking for, and with that knowledge, it’s clear Lekkerimäki’s been working on his play without the puck. He’s pushing to impact games even when he isn’t scoring.

“I think Lekky [Lekkerimäki] has a better understanding now that it’s not necessarily just the production aspect that is going to get him to the next level. It’s the consistency of winning puck battles and being in the right position and being physical in the regards of, you know, going into a corner one-on-one and coming up with a puck.”

His game hasn’t been without its flaws. And given his player profile, there’s a good chance that it will never truly blossom into a full-fledged two-way winger. But it’s important to note that the expectation isn’t that Lekkerimäki suddenly morphs into a bruising, heavy forechecker. It’s more about winning board battles, 50/50 pucks, and playing attentive hockey in all three zones.

“We understand he’s not going to play the same as a D-Petey [Elias Pettersson] perhaps and lay guys out, but the element of being strong on pucks and physically is something that is a very transferable skill and is a necessary skill for the next level.”

Lekkerimäki’s season hasn’t necessarily followed a clean upward trajectory, either. Injuries disrupted his rhythm early, forcing him to recalibrate both physically and mentally. From the organization’s perspective, that adversity has become part of the evaluation rather than an inconvenience.

“There’s definitely a mental component to it, and you know, injuries are something that the majority of pro athletes will have to deal with at some point or another in their careers. So for him to go through this right in year two of his pro career will teach him a lot of things.”

Malhotra also made sure to highlight the work required just to get back to form.

“Give him a lot of credit; he’s worked hard to get himself back into the lineup and get himself game ready, and obviously the production has been there.”

That combination reopened the door, but production alone wasn’t enough to push it all the way open.

Timing could play a role here, too.

With the Olympic break running from February 5 through February 25, the Abbotsford Canucks are set to play seven games during that span. That stretch could offer Lekkerimäki something arguably more valuable than a short NHL cameo: repetition.

So could this be a quick carrot for a player who has paid close attention to his details over the last few games, only to be returned before the roster freeze? Perhaps.

It could also serve as a clean measuring stick for where his game truly lies right now. With the NHL trade deadline following shortly after the break, this window could influence how the organization views his readiness for a more permanent role. If roster changes create space, a clearer opportunity could emerge come March.

This could be a full-time showing, but there is a very real possibility this recall is less a permanent promotion and more a controlled evaluation — a brief “let’s see what you’ve got” window before the calendar forces a reset.

Goals will always matter. They always have, and they always will. Lekkerimäki’s release remains one of the most dangerous weapons in the organization, and his ability to score from limited space is not in question.

While that will certainly help his case, it’s his ability to play with detail and consistency that will ultimately decide his fate. At the NHL level, space disappears faster, shifts are shorter, and mistakes are punished immediately. For Lekkerimäki, that means continuing to show he can win enough puck battles to extend plays, stay on the right side of his check, and remain effective when the game turns into a grind rather than a track meet.

As a go-to offensive driver, it’s not about changing who he is. It’s about giving his skill something to stand on. Encouragingly, those elements have begun to surface more consistently, with Malhota adding that the tenacity and heaviness on pucks are becoming more and more evident in Lekkerimäki’s game.

Those shifts may not always show up on the scoresheet. But they are often the ones that earn trust from coaches — and the ones that determine whether a player stays in the lineup or returns to the American League to keep honing his craft.