After five games in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks are sending Jonathan Lekkerimäki back to Abbotsford.
The move comes as the Canucks prepare to hit the road for the next six games, beginning Saturday in Ottawa.
Max Sasson, meanwhile, has been called up for the first time in his young career. The 24-year-old is in his second full pro season after scoring 42 points (15-27-42) in 38 games in his last season with Western Michigan University.
Sasson is a 6-foot-1 centre who has impressed at the AHL level and performed well at Young Stars in Penticton last September. He has nine points (4-5-9) in 16 AHL games this season and notched 42 points (18-24-42) in 56 games with Abbotsford last season.
Lekkerimäki was put in a position to succeed on this call-up, getting to play on the No. 1 line and the top power-play unit. He scored his first NHL goal and showed well in flashes, but he’s likely not a full-time NHL player at this stage of his career. He’s only 20, so that’s not an indictment.
The call-up for Sasson, meanwhile, has to be satisfying. A late bloomer, the Birmingham, Michigan product was never drafted into the NHL. He bounced around between a number of teams and leagues between the age of 17 and 21, including the Brookings Blizzard (NAHL), Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL), Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL), Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) and Western Michigan University (NCAA).
Having lost three of their last four games in regulation and without J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko, the Canucks are facing adversity right now. Miller isn’t expected to join the team on the road trip, though Boeser and Demko appear to be close to returning.
After Saturday’s game in Ottawa, the Canucks will head to Boston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota. Their next home game isn’t until December 6.