The Vancouver Canucks have made it clear that they want to avoid using long-term injured reserve (LTIR) salary cap provisions this season. Their goal is to stay under the cap limit to utilize the savings for future roster improvements. However, this plan hinges on the health of Akito Hirose and Pius Suter.
Hirose recently sustained a concussion but is reportedly improving, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. Suter is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. To begin the season without exceeding the salary cap, the Canucks can field a roster of 21 healthy players, which includes Suter, along with the injured Thatcher Demko and Dakota Joshua.
NHL teams must submit their opening day rosters by next Monday at 2 p.m. PT. Suter seems likely to be ready for the season, having missed a couple of practices after getting injured in Monday’s game in Edmonton. If Hirose is not cleared by the team’s doctors by then, he cannot be assigned to the minors and will have to remain on the NHL roster. This would push the Canucks into LTIR territory since Demko and Joshua are already injured and unavailable to start the season, counting for approximately $8.25 million in cap space. Additionally, the buyouts of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ilya Mikheyev take up over $3 million, alongside the final year of Tucker Poolman’s $2.5 million contract.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin is not assembling an $88 million roster; instead, he’s aiming for a $75 million budget to kick off the season. Clearly, this isn’t the roster plan Allvin envisioned over the summer, but circumstances have changed.
To create a 21-man roster that complies with the salary cap, some adjustments have already been made. This includes recognizing that Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s waivers-exempt status is more valuable than his immediate readiness for NHL play, as well as deciding to risk fan-favorite Phil Di Giuseppe on waivers, who ultimately cleared and was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford.
However, three more moves are still needed. Currently, Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Raty remain on the NHL roster. Despite Raty’s strong pre-season performance and management’s belief that Bains has improved, both will have to start the season in the AHL since they are waivers-exempt.
The final decision involves choosing between depth defensemen Mark Friedman and Noah Juulsen, as one must go and both require waivers. The Canucks would prefer to keep both players, given their respective strengths—Juulsen’s toughness and penalty-killing ability and Friedman’s steady play—but one will need to be placed on waivers to be sent to the AHL.
Once these moves are finalized, the Canucks will have their 21-man roster, with about $90,000 remaining under the salary cap. If Suter is unable to play next Wednesday due to injury, the team can still field a roster of 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. However, if Hirose remains in concussion protocol on Monday and cannot be sent to the AHL, the Canucks will have to place a contract on LTIR for cap relief.
Interestingly, if they put Tucker Poolman on LTIR, they could exceed the 21-player limit on the active roster, allowing them to keep either Raty or Bains without waiving one of the defensemen.
Despite the current plan, Allvin has shown he’s not afraid to make last-minute trades. In 2022, he dealt Jason Dickinson for Riley Stillman, and last year he acquired Sam Lafferty for a draft pick. It’s possible he might find a way to trade Poolman’s contract. While he’s not keen on paying to offload Poolman, it’s worth considering whether his shifting priorities regarding cap optimization could lead to a change in strategy.
The situation with the Canucks remains dynamic and intriguing.
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