Vancouver Canucks forward Phil Di Giuseppe has cleared waivers, which you can be certain head coach Rick Tocchet is thrilled about.

On Tuesday morning, the Canucks reassigned Di Giuseppe and 12 other players — including top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki — to the AHL. Before reporting there though, Di Giuseppe and three others needed to pass through waivers, meaning every team in the league had a chance to claim Di Giuseppe and add him and his contract to their team.

It was a decision that had far more to do with numbers and the Canucks’ desire to maximize their LTIR space than anything else, and Tocchet was open and honest about that when asked about it after Tuesday’s practice.

“Yeah, it’s a hard one,” said Tocchet. “He’s a solid guy. He came in and had a really good camp. There are numbers involved; there’s a lot more to it — the cap, this and that, LTIR — it’s over my head. I hope he doesn’t get picked up, to be honest with you. He’s a guy that I still think if he doesn’t get picked up, he’s in the mix.”

Di Giuseppe first joined the Canucks as a free agent in the 2021-22 season, but his first season in Vancouver was lacklustre, and for the most part, not even in Vancouver. Di Giuseppe played 42 games for the Abbotsford Canucks that season, and didn’t suit up for an NHL game.

He was toiling under both Travis Green and Bruce Boudreau, and never really found a role with the Canucks until Tocchet came aboard. Di Giuseppe opened last season on a line with JT Miller and Brock Boeser, with Tocchet showing great belief in the journeyman forward.

“He’s a north-south, goes to the net, low-maintenance guy, big guy — how can you not love a guy like that?” said the Canucks’ bench boss at the time. “He’s 29 years old, but I’ve seen a lot of guys start to play well at 29.”

While Di Giuseppe didn’t stick in a top six role, he’s clearly one of Tocchet’s more trusted players and somebody the head coach is certainly thankful to still have in his arsenal for a potential call up once the season gets going.

Earlier today, we broke down the math behind the Canucks’ decision to put Di Giuseppe on waivers, and you can read that story by clicking here. Jiri Patera was the only Canucks player claimed on waivers, as the Boston Bruins strengthened their depth by bringing the 25-year-old goaltender in.