The Vancouver Canucks have been struggling mightily over the past week, as they just suffered their seventh-straight loss on Monday night at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Their 6-3 defeat didn’t instill much confidence, as not only did their losing streak continue, but they have now lost nine of their last 10 games. A big problem Vancouver has had is goal scoring, and someone who can help is Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who is currently in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Abbotsford Canucks. He can help Vancouver because of his dynamic offensive instincts and his ability to score.
Offensive Boost
Vancouver needs a spark, and nothing ignites fans more than goals and offensive play. Lekkerimaki brings droves as he has recorded seven goals and 12 points at the AHL (American Hockey League) level. Even though he has only scored eight points in 32 NHL games, his AHL numbers prove that he is too good for that league. If they bring him up to the NHL level and put him with some of the Canucks’ best offensive players, he will have a chance to thrive at what he does best, which is put up points and give Vancouver the scoring touch they have needed for the last 10 games.
Vancouver has been playing the last few games with Linus Karlsson as their top line right-winger. Karlsson is a great player, but that spot doesn’t necessarily suit him as well as something in the bottom part of the forward group would. Lekkerimaki could be placed on the top line with Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson, or on the second line with David Kampf and Conor Garland, bumping Brock Boeser to the top line. By adding those changes to the top of their lineup, the Canucks can guarantee they will have a better offensive output while also putting players in positions they feel more comfortable in.
What’s The Worst That Can Happen?
The Canucks are currently in the NHL Draft Lottery sweepstakes and are hoping to get the first-overall pick for the 2026 NHL Draft. Their season so far has not gone well, and they are currently at the bottom of the league standings. Things are going very badly for the team, so what is the harm in calling up a player such as Lekkerimaki? There is no way he alone can make Vancouver’s season any worse than it already is. Lekkerimaki is a player who has proven on different occasions that he can play in the NHL. By calling him up and potentially other players in similar positions, people will want to come and watch Vancouver play because they are interested in the youth coming up within the organization.
Related: Canucks Prospects Report: Cootes, Chiarot, Patterson & Romani
Vancouver is not winning many games, and it doesn’t look like they have the talent to win many more this season. The best thing to do for the franchise to do right now is to sell hope: Hope for a better tomorrow and hope for the future of this franchise. By calling up Lekkerimaki and keeping him on the team for the rest of the season, Vancouver can do that. Fans will have the chance to see what he can do at the NHL level with some of the veterans and look forward to the player he could become. The Canucks can also do this for fellow youngers Vilmer Alriksson and Sawyer Mynio. They are three players who look like they will be a big part of the team’s future heading into the late 2020s.
Lekkerimaki is an incredibly talented player who is going to be a big part of the Canucks’ next wave of young talent. By bringing him up to the NHL club for the remainder of the season, they will give him the chance to show what he is capable of and what people can expect from him going forward.
