Vancouver Canucks F Anton Rodin Likely to Start Season on Injured Reserve
Vancouver Canucks newcomer Anton Rodin is still recovering from a long-term knee injury and is not at 100 percent.
After missing the final preseason game with a maintenance day, the Vancouver Canucks officially announced winger Anton Rodin is not completely healthy yet. As a result, he is not expected to be in the opening-night lineup.
According to TSN’s Matt Sekeres, Rodin is likely to not only start the year as the 13th forward, but actually be put on injured reserve.
Rodin likely to begin the season on injured reserve. He won't count on roster, salary counts towards cap. Means a #Canucks F gets a lifeline
— Matthew Sekeres (@mattsekeres) October 10, 2016
With that, the Canucks have room for another forward, most likely Emerson Etem, to stick around a little longer. In addition, Tuomo Ruutu and Jack Skille are still with the team, and their professional tryout deals could turn into one-year NHL deals.
However, the Canucks should not jump to conclusions here. Rodin not being 100 percent healthy doesn’t mean he’ll be on long-term injured reserve. Chances are, he will return to the lineup within the first five games. He might get completely healthy by then, or he could rotate in and out of the lineup.
Because of that, it wouldn’t be smart to sign one of the PTO players unless management is totally convinced they can help the team in the long term. A one-year deal sounds short, but tryout players often end up being those clubs are trying to get rid of by the end of the year. Signing one to play instead of Rodin for a few weeks wouldn’t make sense.
Instead, Etem could get another shot. He had a bad preseason and still isn’t where he wants to be. Rodin on injured reserve could save him from waivers.
Another option is waiting on waivers. Winger Teemu Pulkkinen was waived by the Detroit Red Wings. He is a talented young player who is exactly the type that would help in a rebuild on the fly.
No matter what the Canucks decide to do to solve the issue, losing Rodin hurts. In five preseason contests, the Swede had two goals and three assists. He looked like a great option for any scoring line, as well as the power play. The Canucks lacked secondary scoring last season, and Rodin would have helped improve that.
The Canucks can only hope Rodin returns to full health at all, no matter how long it takes. Knee injuries are tricky and take a long time to recover from.
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