MAJOR | Important update regarding Lekkerimaki's timeline: His expectations regarding his North-American debut revealed

PUBLICATION

Felip Gosselin
August 19, 2023 (8:48 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

As a first-round pick, the expectations for Jonathan Lekkerimaki in his draft +1 season were high. After displaying every offensive weapon he had to strike as a 17-year-old, it was quite the contrary last year.

In an interview with the NHL, we discovered that Lekkerimaki was taking a lot of that pressure on his shoulders. The young man had prepared a timeline for his arrival in Vancouver for the next season (2024-2025). Mikael Samuelsson reported the following:

�'Sometimes I think he thought he would be (in Vancouver) next year. He said to himself that he must be at such and such a level next year. No, you have to stay calm,» said Samuelsson. «If it takes five years, it will take five years. If it takes two, it will take two. If others tell you that you are disappointing, ignore it.''

The Canucks approach, in this case, seems conservative, and the reward could be worth it. A skilled offensive winger that plays to get points on the board needs confidence before taking the next step; if he doesn't dominate and puts up big numbers in Sweden, how could he cross to North America and dominate there where the calibre is even higher?

Samuelsson added some more on the young man's development:

«You have to chart your own path to success. It won't be all positive. Learning is the key to everything, and you don't learn much when everything goes according to plan.''

What would the best play be with the Swede? Should the Canucks be trying to get him in North America as soon as possible? Should he be in Sweden's top league to dominate and only then come over?

POLL
When Lekkerimaki come to NA?
NHL ASAP	142	18.1 %
Only after he's dominated Sweden	189	24.1 %
Have him in the AHL at the end of the year	454	57.8 %
List of polls