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Canucks Recall Victor Mancini, Assign Tom Willander To AHL

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The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves on the back end heading into tonight’s game against Montreal.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Victor Mancini from AHL Abbotsford while sending blueliner Tom Willander back to Abbotsford.

Mancini made Vancouver’s roster to start the season and had played in four games in the early going, although he was averaging just 11 minutes a night in those outings.  Still, the team was comfortable with him rotating in and out of the sixth role.

However, in order to maximize their LTIR pool when Nils Hoglander was transferred there, the Canucks had to send Mancini down to the minors, bringing up Jimmy Schuldt instead.  The team actually requested a one-time waiver of the CBA rule change that says a skater must play in the minors after being sent down but that was denied.  Now that he has played his mandated one game in Abbotsford, Mancini is being brought back to the NHL roster.

As for Willander, he was the beneficiary of the denial of the CBA rule waiver as he ultimately got to spend a few days up with Vancouver collecting his NHL salary instead of his AHL one although he didn’t see any game action.  The 20-year-old, viewed as one of Vancouver’s top prospects, is in his first professional season after turning pro back in the spring and has a goal in four games with Abbotsford.

Canucks Acquire Lukas Reichel

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The Canucks announced Friday that they’ve acquired forward Lukas Reichel from the Blackhawks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. They announced shortly before the move that center Teddy Blueger has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Sunday, as the corresponding transaction.

It is not at all the return on investment Chicago hoped for when they made Reichel the 17th overall pick of the 2020 draft. Now 23, Reichel made his NHL debut in 2022, amid a spectacular rookie season in the AHL that saw the German forward notch over a point per game with the Rockford IceHogs. Reichel got a more extended look in Chicago’s lineup the following season and looked like the future top-six fixture they hoped he’d be. He turned in seven goals and 15 points through 23 games, averaging 16:22 of ice time per night and leading the team in points per game among players who finished the season in the organization.

Once Reichel first broke camp with the Blackhawks in 2023-24, though, the regression was quick and steep. Reichel was initially slotted as the No. 2 center behind Connor Bedard, but that experiment ended quickly as he was getting caved in defensively and barely generating offense. He finished the season with just five goals and 16 points in 65 appearances and was sent back to Rockford later to boost his confidence, managing three goals and 12 points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games.

Last year was a slight improvement, but not enough to truly boost his standing in the organization. He was still an occasional healthy scratch and saw his ice time slashed to under 12 minutes per game, although he did make a career-high 70 appearances. That came with a slight bump in offense in his reduced role, managing an 8-14–22 scoring line, but he still had negative defensive impacts and won just 39.9% of his faceoffs as he spent most of the year down the middle. That turned into Chicago making Reichel available for trade over the offseason and even mulling placing him on waivers late in training camp, but he stuck with the team on opening night.

Reichel was scratched for three of the Blackhawks’ first four games but played in four straight to end his tenure in Chicago. That streak included a two-goal, three-point effort against the Blues back on Oct. 15 in a season-high 13:11 of ice time. That gives him four points in five games on the year, all at even strength, despite averaging under 10 minutes per game.

That’s an intriguing taste of the upside Vancouver is now betting on. While a natural left-winger, Chicago tried Reichel at center multiple times. With the Canucks’ depth issues down the middle behind Elias Pettersson and the oft-injured Filip Chytil, it stands to reason they’d prefer to keep Reichel down the middle. Since Chytil is currently out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, there’s a prime opportunity for Reichel to have his leash removed and immediately jump into a second-line role on a trial basis, likely between veterans Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser.

It’s a no-risk pickup for Vancouver, who can walk away from Reichel next summer if he doesn’t pan out by not issuing him a qualifying offer. He’s in the back half of a two-year, $2.4MM deal he signed with Chicago in 2024 that carries a cap hit of $1.2MM.

Blueger has been placed on IR with an undisclosed injury in a corresponding move. That designation is retroactive to Ocotber 19th, which will force Blueger out of Vancouver’s Saturday matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. He could be activated ahead of Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, though that would require the canucks to send another player to the minor-leagues. Blueger scored one goal in two games before falling to injury. He has been a core piece of Vancouver’s fourth-line for the last two seasons, and should slot back into the lineup as soon as he’s back to full health.

The Canucks are currently carrying Arshdeep Bains and Joseph LaBate as their extra forwards. Both players would require waivers to be sent to the AHL. Extra defenseman Tom Willander would not require waivers, though Vancouver could want to avoid reassigning one of their top prospects before awarding him with his NHL debut.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports.

Jujhar Khaira, Canucks Discussing Potential Signing

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  • 337-game NHL veteran Jujhar Khaira played out 2024-25 on an AHL contract, and a mid-season trade to the Abbotsford Canucks allowed Khaira to help the Canucks to a Calder Cup championship. Khaira hasn’t found a team for 2025-26, but today Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reported that the Canucks “are talking” with Khaira “about re-joining the team.” Assuming they’re talking about a potential AHL contract, it’s unlikely Khaira would be a cheap addition to the AHL payroll as a player with so much NHL experience and a Calder Cup championship on his résumé.

Vancouver Requested Waiver Of CBA Rule For Mancini Demotion

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Under the new CBA rules, players sent to the minors must play in at least one game before being recalled.  However, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province reports that the Canucks asked for a waiver of that rule as it applies to defenseman Victor Mancini.  In order to maximize their LTIR pool when they moved Nils Hoglander on there, they needed to swap out Mancini for Jimmy Schuldt.  Their hope was to get a waiver to allow them to immediately recall Mancini to the active roster since it wasn’t quite the same type of paper transactions that some teams engaged in daily in previous years.  Considering the 23-year-old remains with AHL Abbotsford, it’s fair to say their request was denied but his stint in the minors is likely to be a short-lived one.

Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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4:15 p.m.: The Canucks have announced additional roster moves, reassigning Schuldt to Abbotsford and recalling defenseman Tom Willander and forward Nils Aman. The move adds an experienced center to the Canucks’ roster to help fill in for the loss of Chytil. Aman isn’t the caliber of player Chytil is, and won’t be able to bring the same level of offense, but he nonetheless has 130 games of NHL experience and offers some size and defensive reliability to head coach Adam Foote.

Willander, 20, appears to be a replacement for Mancini, as he is also a young right-shot blueliner. Willander was the 11th overall pick at the 2023 NHL draft and made his pro debut earlier this month with Abbotsford. He has spent the last two seasons playing college hockey at Boston University (scoring 49 points across 77 games) and with this recall is now eliigible to be dressed for an NHL game and has a chance to make his NHL debut.

11:11 a.m.: The Vancouver Canucks announced multiple roster moves, largely to maximize their LTIR capture. This morning, the Canucks shared that they’ve placed forwards Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the injured reserve (retroactive to October 19th), and have moved Nils Höglander to the LTIR (retroactive to October 7th).

Additionally, Vancouver has reassigned defenseman Victor Mancini to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, while recalling Joseph LaBate and Jimmy Schuldt in a corresponding roster move.

Unfortunately, the injury designation for Chytil was expected. The Canucks second-line center was on the receiving end of a massive hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson during yesterday’s contest, causing Chytil to leave the game prematurely. Although a major penalty was initally assessed, it was rescinded upon review, and no supplemental discipline is expected from the league’s Department of Player Safety.

Outside of losing a top-six center, there’s larger cause for concern with Chytil specifically. Throughout his time with the New York Rangers, Chytil suffered multiple concussions, limiting him to only 66 games from 2023 to 2025. Already dealing with a thin pool down the middle, Vancouver would struggle to put together a serviceable defensive core if Chytil is out long-term.

Meanwhile, Lekkerimaki also left last night’s game prematurely. Unlike Chytil, it was not as apparent what caused Lekkerimaki’s injury. Still, he was filling in for Brock Boeser, who missed the game for personal matters.

Lastly, Höglander’s move to the LTIR, as well as the roster moves, were purely based on financial reasons. The Canucks are already operating close to the upper limit of the salary cap, and they’ll maximize their LTIR capture via the move.

Hoglander is eligible to return after Vancouver’s October 26th matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, though it’s not apparent he’ll be ready to return at that point. Additionally, although he should be expected back on the roster relatively soon, Mancini must play in at least one AHL game before being eligible for recall, per the league’s new rules regarding paper transactions.

Boeser Injured Versus Capitals, Boeser Out For Personal Reasons

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While it was a good day for the Canucks on the scoreboard, it was a tough one on the injury front.  Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province relays that center Filip Chytil exited today’s game on a hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson and had to be helped off the ice.  A major penalty was initially assessed on the play but was rescinded after review.   The 26-year-old has a long documented history of concussion troubles with five already and while it’s unclear at this point if that’s something he may have or not, it’s something that will ensure the team errs on the side of caution.  Chytil had three goals in his first five games to tie him for the team lead heading into today’s action.  Meanwhile, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Department of Player Safety will review the hit but no supplemental discipline is expected.

  • Still with the Canucks, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brock Boeser missed today’s game for personal reasons; no further details were provided by the club. The 28-year-old had gotten off to a decent start to the season with three goals in five games while also seeing some playing time on the penalty kill, a role he hasn’t filled in a while.  Jonathan Lekkerimaki took his place in the lineup but he, too, left today’s game early with an undisclosed injury.

Flames Assign Matvei Gridin, Activate Jonathan Huberdeau

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The Calgary Flames have assigned winger Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to make room to activate Jonathan Huberdeau off of injured reserve. Huberdeau has been sidelined since sustaining an undisclosed injury in a preseason matchup against the Vancouver Canucks on October 1st. He missed the first seven games of Calgary’s season.

Gridin played in the first four games of his NHL career to start the season, but found his way to the press box after posting one goal and a minus-three. He is among Calgary’s top prospects, and is set to become one of just six 19-year-olds in the AHL. A taste of NHL minutes, and continued pro challenge in the minors, could be exactly what Gridin needs to grow his game.

He looked fast and flashy in the QMJHL last year, posting 96 points in 72 games over the course of the Shawinigan Cataractes’ full season. That performance earned him the QMJHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award. The 2024 first-round pick spent two seasons in the USHL prior to his draft. He scored 99 points in 108 total games in the league. That includes a league-leading 83-point season in 2023-24, the second-highest scoring season in Muskegon Lumberjacks history.

While Gridin develops in the minors, Huberdeau will look to keep up his momentum from last season. He scored 16 points in 18 games to finish the 2024-25 season, pushing him to 28 goals and 62 points in 81 games on the year. It was Huberdeau’s highest-scoring season since he posted 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. His dip in scoring with the Flames has shadowed his last three seasons, but he showed a click next to Morgan Frost and Matthew Coronato that could propel the Flames’ offense this season. Coronato currently leads Calgary in scoring, with three points in five games. Frost has two points.

Canucks Activate Pierre-Olivier Joseph

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The Canucks announced that they’ve reinstated defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from injured reserve. They had an open roster spot after placing Derek Forbort on IR yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Joseph will be available for tonight’s game against the Stars after sitting out all three games this season with an undisclosed injury. He landed on IR to open the season after an issue arose late in camp, so he hasn’t played since the beginning of the month. He returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, so he’s had a few days of ramp-up.

The 26-year-old lefty will be making his Canucks debut if he enters the lineup tonight, but based on this morning’s line rushes, he’s expected to be a healthy scratch, per Dan Murphy of Sportsnet. He inked a one-year, league-minimum deal with the club in free agency after being non-tendered by the Penguins.

A first-round pick by the Coyotes back in 2017, Joseph is still looking to re-establish himself as an everyday defender. Acquired from Arizona by Pittsburgh in the 2019 Phil Kessel deal, Joseph first broke out as an NHL option in the 2022-23 season, when he made 75 appearances for the Pens and posted five goals and 21 points with a +8 rating. That was good enough to give him a few fringe Calder Trophy votes, but since then, he hasn’t been able to recapture that level of two-way performance.

Joseph only made 52 appearances for Pittsburgh the following year before being non-tendered for the first time. He signed with the Blues on a one-year deal worth $950K for 2024-25, but had two points and a -7 rating in 23 games before they traded him back to the Penguins. His stat line to finish out the year was even more underwhelming – just one assist and a -15 rating in 24 games for a performance that showed out well below replacement value.

He reunites with president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in Vancouver, who was the GM of the Penguins when they initially acquired him six years ago. He’ll start by slotting in as the Canucks’ No. 7 while Elias N. Pettersson and Victor Mancini cover bottom-pairing duties for now with Forbort out. Still, he might get a look in the lineup if the “other” Elias continues to struggle as he has through the first three games. He’s been held without a point, is averaging 13:36 per game, and has been caved in for a 34.8 CF% and 32.4 xGF% at even strength.

Latest On Filip Chytil

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The Vancouver Canucks are off to a somewhat slow start to 2025-26, going 1-2-0 in three games. After scoring five goals in their season-opening victory, the team scored just three across its next two games, and while sample sizes are still quite small, there are some notable trends emerging in terms of how first-year head coach Adam Foote is deploying his forwards. The Athletic’s Harman Dayal wrote today that through the first three games of the season, Foote “has been deploying” Filip Chytil “more like a No. 1 centre than” Elias Pettersson, the team’s star pivot. Dayal noted that Chytil currently ranks 14th in the NHL in five-on-five ice time per game, while Pettersson ranks 264th, and that Chytil is averaging nearly a full minute more of ice time per game than Pettersson at all situations.

Canucks Place Derek Forbort On Injured Reserve

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without some defensive depth for at least the first two games of their upcoming road trip. The team announced that they’ve placed Derek Forbort on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, retroactive to October 11th.

Forbort’s placement on the IR gives context to youngster Victor Mancini’s inclusion in the lineup for Monday’s loss against the St. Louis Blues. Mancini went scoreless across 15:24 of action, while the pairing of him and Marcus Pettersson combined for an xGoals% of 38.5% according to MoneyPuck.

Although Forbort is eligible to return for the Canucks game on October 19th against the Washington Capitals, there’s no guarantee he’ll do so. He was particularly ineffective in his first two games before the injury.

Even with little responsibility as a bottom-pairing option, Forbort went without a point to start the year, averaging 13:56 of ice time. He’s already in last place among Vancouver defensemen in CorsiFor% at even strength (29.2%) and helped muster a brutal 15.4% xGoals% alongside Elias Pettersson.

Regardless, the Canucks will likely have him on the roster until the trade deadline, unless they’re willing to expose him on the waiver wire. Although he’s coming off a relatively disappointing campaign in which he scored two goals and 11 points in 54 games with a -7 rating, Vancouver signed Forbort to a one-year, $2MM extension in early June. Assuming Mancini continues producing better than Forbort, albeit in a small sample size, it’s unlikely the Canucks will put him back in the lineup over their road trip.

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