Arshdeep Bains is ready to help Canucks' bottom six sooner than later
The Vancouver Canucks could just have a diamond in the rough in their farm system. Arshdeep Bains has taken yet another jump in his progression and looks ready to contribute at the NHL level perhaps as soon as this season.
The Surrey native was signed by the Canucks in March 2022 after leading the WHL in scoring. Since then, he has played nearly 100 professional games at the AHL level and has shown an impressive ability to improve his game rapidly year after year.
The 6-foot winger has 21 assists and 29 points this season across 29 games. That places him 11th among all AHL players in helpers, and tied for 19th in points.
He can score in a variety of ways and has shown the ability to move around the goalie in close with some soft hands.
Making it rain, it’s Arshdeep Bains (x2) ‼️
Two goals from Bains last night for the @AbbyCanucks pic.twitter.com/ARH3dNkFs0
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 29, 2023
Bains was recently selected to represent the Abbotsford Canucks at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. It’s a nice honour for the 23-year-old and is very deserving due to his strong play this season.
Despite his point-per-game scoring pace, producing offensively is far from the only area where Bains thrives. He is an adept penalty killer and his ability to thrive in that role makes it easy to project him thriving as a bottom-six NHLer when the big club decides to call him up.
Bains has one more year on his contract after this season before he becomes a restricted free agent. The prospect of the winger playing on the big club full-time next year with a cap hit under $1 million is exciting for a team that will need to make savvy use of every dollar.
Bains represents a huge win for the Canucks, who did not need to surrender any assets to acquire him. While he hasn’t yet proved himself at the highest level, with the way his development has gone, it feels just like a matter of time before he’s tearing it up for his hometown team.