Canucks call up Bains and move injured Demko to LTIR

The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Arshdeep Bains following a strong month with Abbotsford in the AHL.

The 23-year-old Surrey native appeared in five games for the Canucks in February but didn’t register a point. He didn’t look out of place, though, in what was widely considered a positive showing for the rookie.

Since being sent down, Bains has picked up 10 points (5-5-10) in 11 AHL games. He leads Abbotsford with 49 points in 53 games this season.

The Bains call-up gives Vancouver 14 forwards on the roster, plus Dakota Joshua, who is on IR. It’s unclear at the moment if this has anything to do with Elias Lindholm, who missed the last game with an undisclosed injury and is reportedly seeing a specialist this week.

This means that Demko can't play until April 6th, gives them more cap space in the meantime.

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) March 27, 2024

The Canucks also made what they’re calling a “roster management move” with Thatcher Demko, retroactively moving their starter to long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

According to a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the move means that Demko can’t play until April 6 at the earliest. That would leave Demko with just five regular season games to get back up to speed before the playoffs following a knee injury suffered on March 9.

Backup Casey DeSmith has started all six games since Demko’s injury, going 3-2-1 during that span with a .896 save percentage.

The Canucks’ schedule has been kind this month. They’ve played seven straight home games, with plenty of days off in between. They do have back-to-back road games on the horizon, though, in Vegas on April 2 and Arizona on April 3, meaning we could possibly see Arturs Silovs get into a game.

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