As the Vancouver Canucks head into Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers, they've called up reinforcements from Abbotsford.
The Abbotsford Canucks' stint in the Calder Cup Playoffs in the AHL ended on Wednesday with a loss that concluded a three-game sweep at the hands of the Ontario Reign. While Abbotsford's playoff run ended in the second round, some of their players may still get into some playoff action in the NHL.
The Canucks announced on Friday that 13 players have been called up from Abbotsford to join Vancouver's roster for the playoffs.
It's entirely possible that none of these 13 players will get into a game for the Canucks in the playoffs. Call-ups from the AHL typically serve as "Black Aces" for the NHL roster. These are players not necessarily expected to play but are on standby to step into the lineup in case of injury.
For young prospects like winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defencemen Elias Pettersson, they get the opportunity to be around the team during the playoff run and soak up the experience, even if it's unlikely they'll get called upon to play. There's an outside shot that Lekkerimäki might get called upon if the Canucks have significant injuries to their top-six but that would be a tough spot to step into for a young player.
A player like Vasily Podkolzin, however, is much more likely to get into the Canucks' lineup even if no one gets injured. If a fourth-liner like Sam Lafferty or Phil Di Giuseppe falters, Podkolzin could easily step into the lineup in his place.
While Podkolzin is likely first on the depth chart among this group of forwards, both Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson saw time with the Canucks in the NHL this season, so could also be options. Meanwhile, Aatu Räty and Max Sasson were two of Abbotsford's best forwards this season.
Of course, if Räty or Sasson get into the lineup, that would mean the Canucks were facing some severe injury problems.
On defence, both Matt Irwin and Christian Wolanin have a decent amount of NHL experience, while Cole McWard showed some potential in a brief stint last season. They'll be behind Noah Juulsen and Mark Friedman on the depth chart.
If goaltender Zach Sawchenko has to get into the lineup, then things have truly gone awry for the Canucks, who have already had to use three goaltenders in the playoffs. Sawchenko is behind not only Arturs Silovs and Casey DeSmith on the depth chart but also Nikita Tolopilo, who had been previously called up to Vancouver to serve as the team's emergency backup goaltender.
The most interesting element is who didn't get the call, though it's possible that injuries played a role. Defenceman Jett Woo, for instance, missed the end of the regular season and the entire playoffs for Abbotsford with an ankle injury, so he's understandably not available. But Akito Hirose also isn't among the call-ups and neither is Sheldon Dries, who played 63 NHL games for the Canucks last season.
