Canucks call up a forward with Di Giuseppe injured
The Vancouver Canucks have called up Linus Karlsson just in time for their seven-game road trip.
The move was necessitated by the injury suffered to Phil Di Giuseppe in Tuesday night’s win against the Ottawa Senators. The Canucks winger played just 2:13 before exiting the game with an undisclosed injury.
“I haven’t talked to the doctors or the trainers yet, but he’s not going to be playing for a while, I think,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters. “I don’t know the exact timeline yet though.”
Karlsson has appeared in three NHL games this season and has yet to record a point. The 6-foot-1, 178-point forward ranks third in scoring with Abbotsford this season, with 23 points (7-16-23) in 25 games.
Karlsson is getting the call-up ahead of the likes of Arshdeep Bains (26 AHL points), Sheldon Dries (25), Aatu Räty (20), and Vasily Podkolzin (16).
This is just Karlsson’s second season in North America after coming over from Sweden in 2022. The 24-year-old led all Abbotsford forwards in scoring last season with 49 points (24-25-49) in 72 games.
The Canucks will play seven games in 12 nights in what is their longest road trip of the season. It begins Thursday, with games against the St. Louis Blues (January 4), New Jersey Devils (January 6), New York Rangers (January 8), New York Islanders (January 9), Pittsburgh Penguins (January 11), Buffalo Sabres (January 13), and Columbus Blue Jackets (January 15).
#Canucks win, Kings lose.
Vancouver is now 1st place in the Pacific by both points and points percentage. pic.twitter.com/OKpKD96P0Z
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) January 3, 2024
Vancouver currently sits first in the Pacific Division by both points and points percentage, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings close behind.