Canucks injury updates: Good news for Soucy but not Blueger
Injuries piled up for the Vancouver Canucks, even before their season opener on Wednesday.
The Canucks were missing four skaters due to injury, in Ilya Mikheyev, Carson Soucy, Teddy Blueger, and Guillaume Brisebois.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet had a good news/bad news update after practice in regards to Soucy and Blueger.
Soucy left the Canucks’ final preseason game with a concerning injury that Tocchet initially called “week-to-week.” Week-to-week has been known to turn into month-to-month in Vancouver, so it was anyone’s guess on a timeline — though it certainly seemed long-term.
But after today’s practice, perhaps not.
Soucy skated in a red non-contact jersey with his Canucks teammates today and will join them on the upcoming road trip.
“Yeah, that’s a big step [in the right direction,]” Tocchet told reporters. “He’s progressing.”
The news was much less positive for Blueger.
“It’s a week-to-week thing with him,” said Tocchet.
And Brisebois?
“Definitely week-to-week too.”
Mikheyev has been skating with the Canucks for most of the last two weeks and hasn’t played since January when he underwent ACL surgery. He doesn’t appear to be far away from returning.
Soucy and Blueger make up two-thirds of the Canucks’ July 1 additions, as Patrik Allvin began bolstering his roster with defensively responsible players. Both free agent signings are expected to be a big part of the team’s much-maligned penalty kill, which got off to a good start against the Oilers on Wednesday.
Vancouver killed off three of Edmonton’s four power plays, with an incredible shot from Leon Draisaitl accounting for the only blemish. The Canucks had no shortage of players killing penalties, with Filip Hronek (2:44), Ian Cole (2:16), Phil Di Giuseppe (2:13), and Sam Lafferty (2:11) leading the way in shorthanded ice time.
Expect the same lineup to suit up for the Canucks on Saturday in Edmonton, plus winger Jack Studnicka, who was recalled from Abbotsford on Thursday.