The coach of the Canucks has confirmed that another elite player is injured and will miss the game.
Akito Hirose has been sent to AHL Abbotsford, the organization announced on Saturday. It wasn’t shocking that he was sent to the minors, but there had been some uncertainty around when he would be able to play again following his concussion against the Calgary Flames last Saturday.
Hirose made an appearance later in the Canucks skate at Rogers Arena on Friday, wearing a normal practice jersey—a positive indication that he was doing better. However, it didn’t appear like his clearance would be complete anytime soon.
In any case, his departure increases the likelihood that the Canucks will be able to fulfill their long-standing desire to avoid starting the season on long-term injured reserve.
Pius Suter and Conor Garland, who both missed Friday’s game due to injuries, are still questionable.
Tuesday’s upper-body injury kept Suter out of practice until Saturday, when he returned to the ice wearing a non-contact jersey. That was a very positive indication, especially with the Canucks commencing their season on Wednesday and the NHL’s opening-day roster cutoff on Monday at 2:00 p.m.
In contrast, Garland appears to have had a minor injury during Friday’s morning skate before to the preseason game against Edmonton. He was a last-minute scratch against the Oilers, despite expectations that he would play. Head coach Rick Tocchet played down the crafty forward’s absence from practice on Saturday, stating that he is just day-to-day.
The Canucks’ management has said that they would prefer not to use long-term injured reserve, which currently means that the team will only have 21 players on the roster when the season begins. That would leave just Mark Friedman or Noah Juulsen on the squad to begin the season, along with the absence of Aatu Raty and Arshdeep Bains.
All of this is a result of Dakota Joshua’s testicular cancer and Thatcher Demko’s left popliteus muscle injury, which will prevent them from playing in the season. They occupy more than $8 million in cap space between them. Demko, Joshua, or Tucker Poolman’s last year of his deal may all be moved to LTIR, allowing for cap relief on part or all of their agreements. The Canucks could retain two more players on the NHL roster based solely on cap space if they took that course.
The Canucks could choose to play Wednesday’s game as a skater short in the unlikely event that neither Suter nor Garland are ready to start the season. This would allow Raty or Bains to be called up in an emergency for Friday’s game, and the recalled player wouldn’t be subject to a cap hit until Suter or Garland was ready to return.
