Vancouver Canucks Assign Two, Including Jonathan Lekkerimaki, to the AHL

The Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Edmonton Oilers to Rogers Arena on Saturday night as part of Hockey Day in Canada and it was a pretty solid performance all around.

Captain Quinn Hughes had a pair of goals, while J.T. Miller blocked out the noise to register two assists as Vancouver downed the defending Western Conference champions by a score of 3-2.

Prior to Saturday's game, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet made the decision to scratch 2022 first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki, which was puzzling to say the least.

One day later, it looks like the Vancouver Canucks will be giving him an opportunity to get big minutes down in the AHL, or the other possibility we've seen this season with their roster moves - accruing cap space.

In a social media post on Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they've sent Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Guillaume Brisebois to the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks.

If this is turns out not to be just for salary cap accrual, then it makes perfect sense to send Jonathan Lekkerimaki to the American Hockey League.

Having a 20-year-old top prospect sitting in the press box in the NHL doesn't help him whatsoever and he needs to play in order to develop, which is why it's best to have him playing top line minutes in the AHL, for now.

As for Guillaume Brisebois, there's a pretty good chance he'll be called back up ahead of Tuesday night's clash with the Buffalo Sabres.

It's unclear whether or not Noah Juulsen will be able to play as he's dealing with an undisclosed injury and there's a very good chance they'll be without Tyler Myers, who is set to have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety after a cross-check to the face of Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard late in Saturday's game.