Soucy healthy and ready to play for Canucks again, Brisebois on waivers
Carson Soucy will play his first game in more than six weeks for the Vancouver Canucks tonight.
Head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the news with reporters in Los Angeles after the morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings in Southern California.
Injuries have limited Soucy to 21 games this season, but the 6-foot-5 defenceman has been a steadying presence on Vancouver’s back end when in the lineup.
Soucy injured his hand on January 20 in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He suffered another lengthy injury earlier in the season after blocking a shot in November.
āItās been a long time coming, twice now,” Soucy told Canucks reporter Kate Pettersen. “Iām just excited to get things going. Hopefully just put a nice stretch together before playoffs here.ā
With Soucy drawing in, the Canucks could sit Mark Friedman, who played just 12:54 in his last game. Friedman played in Sunday’s game in Anaheim, being inserted into the Canucks’ lineup after Tyler Myers suffered an injury.
Brisebois could still be depth option for Canucks
Guillaume Brisebois hasn’t played a competitive hockey game since preseason, but the Canucks defenceman’s health appears to be improving.
Brisebois has been placed on waivers, which isn’t usually good news for a player, but in this instance, it is, because you can’t put an injured player on waivers.
Assuming Brisebois clears waivers, he’ll report to Abbotsford. If all goes well in the AHL, perhaps the 26-year-old blueliner could still be a depth option for Vancouver down the line.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Guillaume Brisebois has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL).
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 5, 2024
Brisebois was injured on a hit from Brandon Tanev in the second-last preseason game against the Seattle Kraken on October 4. The 6-foot-2 defenceman was put on LTIR on October 17 and has been out of the lineup ever since.
Brisebois hasn’t been seen or heard from much since October, until Saturday when he made a surprise appearance at Canucks practice.
wow! Guillaume Brisebois in a non-contact jersey at #Canucks practice. First time since preseason injury pic.twitter.com/452YT6uth1
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) March 2, 2024
Brisebois was a feel-good story last season. He appeared in a career-high 17 NHL games and scored his first NHL goal nearly eight years after Vancouver drafted him. He impressed the Canucks enough for management to offer a two-year contract extension, which turns into a one-way deal next season.