The Vancouver Canucks are starting to get healthy again.

Forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defenceman Victor Mancini rejoined their teammates for Tuesday morning’s pregame skate.

However, according to line rushes, it doesn’t appear they’ll return to game action tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Lekkerimäki skated as an extra forward with MacKenzie MacEachern, while Mancini was on the fourth defensive pairing with PO Joseph.

When both players are ready to return, where will they slot in?

We’ll start with Lekkerimäki and the forward group.

For their back-to-back games over the weekend against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche, head coach Adam Foote mixed up his middle six lines and had success in doing so. The two lines accounted for four of the Canucks’ five even strength goals in those games.

Do they dare mess with that? If those lines are going, maybe it’s best to stick with them until the offence dries up. The top line of Evander Kane, Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland will surely stay in tact. That leaves the Abby line.

After a hot start when first put together, the Abbotsford trio’s magic wore off and the offence dried up. However, they found some success last game against the Avalanche, building off offensive zone shifts with sustained pressure. Linus Karlsson scored his first of the season, but that came shortly after a power play when he was on the ice with Kane and Kiefer Sherwood.

I wonder about a guy like Arshdeep Bains. He started off hot, picking up a pair of assists in his first three games, and was even seeing penalty kill time. However, since then, Bains has just one assist and has played just 1:40 on the penalty kill. Bains has also appeared in all 17 games this season. Maybe a break would be a nice reset for the Surrey native.

In saying that, Lekkerimäki’s talents aren’t necessarily suited for a fourth-line role. And with how well Drew O’Connor has been playing over the past two weeks (seven points in six games), he doesn’t deserve a demotion. Could a stint in Abbotsford, where he would be the focal point of the offence, build his confidence and get him back in game shape before coming back once O’Connor slows down? Let’s not forget, Lekkerimäki is still just 21 years old and trying to develop. Let him go down to Abbotsford, help them win some games and come back up once he’s ready.

But if he were to stay in the NHL, the most best place for him to play would be in a third line role with Aatu Räty and Jake DeBrusk. Move DeBrusk to the left wing, Lekkerimäki slots back in on the right. He would be playing with two defensively sound players, while also not having to necessarily be that go-to offensive skater with DeBrusk on the opposite wing and relieve a bit of pressure on the young forward.

Now to the blueline and Mancini.

It’s certainly crowded, but with what we saw from Mancini during his five game stint, he should slot right back into the Canucks’ lineup. During that stint, the 6’3″ right-shot defenceman looked like he belonged at the NHL level. Mancini did well to steer oncoming puck carriers to the corners and out of a dangerous scoring position, while also showing some offensive upside.

That would take Tom Willander out of the lineup. We’re not saying Willander’s play has been poor. However, we have seen him taper off a little bit, getting outbodied and losing puck battles in the defensive zone. While he’s still showing strides at the professional level, Mancini is just more NHL ready than Willander is at this point in time. Slotting him in on the right side with Elias Pettersson would be the most likely landing spot for Mancini once he’s ready to return.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Where do you see Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Victor Mancini slotting into the lineup once they return? Let us know in the comments below!