Injuries among the Vancouver Canucks players could potentially disrupt the team’s salary cap strategy this season, which is something they would prefer to avoid.
The Canucks have expressed their desire to stay under the salary cap to maintain financial flexibility, allowing them to bolster their roster later in the season.
However, this plan hinges on the health status of two players: Akito Hirose and Pius Suter. Hirose recently suffered a concussion, and while he seems to be improving, his availability remains uncertain. Suter is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
For the Canucks to begin the season under the salary cap, they’ll need to submit a 21-man roster by next Monday. This roster would include Suter, assuming he’s healthy, along with injured players Thatcher Demko and Dakota Joshua. If Hirose is not medically cleared by then, he can’t be reassigned to the AHL and will have to remain on the NHL roster, which could force the Canucks into using long-term injured reserve (LTIR) for salary cap relief.
The team has already made some tough roster decisions to stay cap-compliant, like waiving Phil Di Giuseppe and reassigning waivers-exempt players like Jonathan Lekkerimaki to the AHL. Additional moves will be required to finalize the roster, potentially involving the reassignment of players like Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty, who are both waivers-exempt.
The Canucks are also contemplating which depth defenseman to send to the AHL—Mark Friedman or Noah Juulsen—both of whom would need to clear waivers. If Suter remains sidelined, they may have to play with a shortened roster. Should Hirose’s status necessitate an LTIR designation, they could possibly retain additional players like Bains or Räty without waiving one of the defensemen.
General Manager Patrik Allvin has a history of making last-minute trades to optimize the roster and cap space. He might explore trading contracts like Tucker Poolman’s to further ease cap constraints, demonstrating the team’s adaptability and strategic flexibility. With the season approaching, the Canucks’ cap situation remains dynamic and unpredictable.
