Canucks center Brendan Gaunce will miss at least the first month of the season as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, GM Jim Benning told TSN 1040 (audio link). The 2012 first rounder recently signed a two-year, $1.5MM contract with one-way salaries in both years. Last season, Gaunce played in 57 games with the Canucks, collecting five assists and was expected to battle for a fourth line spot with the team in training camp.
That could provide an opportunity for one of the veterans that Vancouver has brought in on tryouts to crack the opening roster. So far, center Ryan White and winger Scottie Upshall have been announced as PTO players that will be attending camp with the Canucks.
More injury notes from around the league:
- The Predators will have to wait a bit longer to see offseason signing Nick Bonino suit up in a Nashville jersey. GM David Poile told reporters, including Adam Vingan of The Tennessean, that the center isn’t expected to play at all in the preseason as he continues to recover from a broken left tibia, one that he elected to not have surgery on. The team is hopeful that he will be ready for the season opener on October 5th.
- While Oilers winger Anton Slepyshev is set to miss at least part of training camp after sustaining an ankle injury in offseason training, GM Peter Chiarelli noted to Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that the injury is not particularly serious. Slepyshev split the regular season between the NHL and AHL but was a regular for the Oilers in the playoffs so this shouldn’t represent too much of a setback for him in his quest to land a roster spot.
- After undergoing separate surgeries on both shoulders shortly after signing his entry-level contract, the Jets are hopeful that defensive prospect Tucker Poolman will be ready to participate in training camp, notes Postmedia’s Paul Friesen. Poolman is coming off his best season at the college level where he had 30 points (7-23-30) in 38 games and could have elected free agency in August to become part of the group of prospects that tested the market after the 15th.