The Vancouver Canucks have been sending two players back and forth between the AHL and NHL for a week now. Arshdeep Bains and Erik Brännström have been bounced down to the AHL whenever the Canucks have a day off so that the team can accrue a little bit more capspace on those days.
Bains and Brännström have been the players subject to these paper transactions because neither need to clear waivers to go down to the AHL. If the Canucks want to make any actual additions to their roster, however, one of Bains or Brännström would need to stay in the AHL or another player would have to go on waivers.
That's exactly what happened on Saturday, as the Canucks placed centre Nils Åman on waivers in order to send him down to the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL.
There are two clear takeaways from this move.
One is that Dakota Joshua is ready to return to the roster. The 28-year-old winger has been back practicing with the team after missing training camp and the start of the season while recovering from surgery following a testicular cancer diagnosis. Joshua has gone from wearing a non-contact jersey at practice to a regular jersey and has been a full participant.
"People get surgery on anything, whether it’s an arm or a leg, it’s the same kind of process: just getting your body back to full health," said Joshua on Friday. "Obviously, you've got to be at a high level to go out there and perform, so that’s what I’m aiming for."
Joshua won't be returning for Saturday's game against the San Jose Sharks. There's no room on the roster until Åman clears waivers (or is claimed), which won't happen until Sunday.
The second takeaway is that Bains has outplayed Åman and cemented a spot on the roster, if not necessarily the lineup.
Åman has a few things going for him that Bains doesn't: he's a centre who kills penalties well, even if he's mediocre in the faceoff circle. What Bains brings, however, is more speed and a little more offensive creativity, even if Bains only has the one goal this season — fewer points than Åman's two assists.
Bains has so impressed Tocchet with his detailed two-way game that he's earned a promotion into the top-six alongside Elias Pettersson. With Joshua set to return, that may not last.
The one question remaining is whether Åman will clear waivers.
While Åman may not produce much offensively, other teams might still be willing to claim a young penalty-killing centre for their bottom-six, particularly if they've been struck by injuries this season. The Colorado Avalanche, for example, have a slew of injuries at forward right now and could see Åman as a fit. They're the team that originally drafted him in the sixth round in 2020.
If Åman does not clear waivers, that will be a bit of a blow to the Canucks' centre depth but they do have Aatu Räty in the AHL.
