The 32-year-old defenseman was activated off the IR Tuesday after missing time with a lower-body injury. The massive 14-year-veteran will start his fourth season with Vancouver having scored 13 goals and 60 points with 166 PIM through 205 games as a member of the Canucks.
Demko will be looking to get the Canucks in the win column for the first time in 2022-23 as they head to Washington to take on the Capitals Monday night. The six-year veteran has struggled mightily in the early season, losing both starts while allowing seven goals on his first 55 shots. The Canucks will need a lot more from their 2021 All-Star netminder if they hope to win their first game of the young season.
Tucker Poolman was hurt in Saturday's game against the Flyers, so Juulsen comes up to serve as the Canucks No.7 defenseman in Washington. Juulsen did not record a point and had nine PIMS in his first two AHL contests of the season.
Demko will take the crease for Vancouver as the Canucks head to Philadelphia for a Saturday matinee. The Canucks starter will be looking to change his early season luck after struggling in their opener against Edmonton, allowing four goals on 24 shots. He draws a much less lethal matchup Saturday as he looks to get a Win on the board for the first time this year.
Despite not being available for Saturday's game, DeBrusk's injury isn't as bad as originally feared. With DeBrusk out, Craig Smith is expected to move up to the top line, and Trent Frederic will replace Smith on the third line.
Blueger has been battling an upper-body injury and has officially been ruled out of Thursday's game vs. the Coyotes. Ryan Poehling will centre the fourth line with Blueger out.
Head coach Jim Montgomery has stated that the 25-year-old left-winger had left the teams opening matchup against Washington after an upper-body injury. Debrusk managed two hits and three shots on goal before leaving prematurely with 11:06 TOI. The Bruins will update on the severity of the injury in the upcoming days.
Demko will lead the Canucks for his fifth career NHL season. He is coming off a career year in 2021-22 where he finished with a career-best 33 wins, .915 SV% and 2.72 GAA.
Kravtsov left Tuesday's game in the first period and did not return. He will not make the trip to Minnesota or Winnipeg but could be back for next week's game vs. Anaheim. Alexis Lafreniere moved up to the second line after Kravtsov left the game.
Boeser underwent hand surgery in late September and is expected to be back one week earlier than originally expected. Boeser skated on the top line with J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson and on the second power-play unit in Tuesday's practice.
Hughes missed several practices with a non-COVID illness but was back on the ice for Tuesday's session. While he's expected to play in the season opener, monitor Hughes' status during the morning skate.
Blueger continues to battle an undisclosed injury that he suffered on September 28th. Blueger was not on the ice of Monday's practice, so look for Ryan Poehling to centre the fourth line if he's unavailable for the season opener on Thursday.
The Canucks' injury woes continued as General Manager Patrik Allvin spoke with the media Friday night and confirmed forward Phil Di Giuseppe will miss 2-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. It is a tough blow for the 28-year-old winger who was trying to crack the Canucks roster after having not played in the NHL since the 2020-21 season where he put up eight points in 31 games as a member of the New York Rangers. He enjoyed a strong 2021-22 campaign with the Canucks AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, collecting 12 goals and 36 points in 42 games.
Kevin Lankinen will get the start between the pipes Saturday in Prague. He will get his first start as a Predator after posting a .901 SV% in 69 Career games played with the Chicago Blackhawks across two seasons. He will look to continue the Predators' winning ways after they won the inaugural game of the season 4-1 on Friday.
Myers was not on the ice for Thursday's practice, and the Canucks announced on Thursday that he would miss at least two weeks. Based on the timeline, expect Myers to miss anywhere from five-to-11 games. Kyle Burroughs or Christian Wolanin are expected to take Myers' spot in the lineup for the season opener.
Boeser suffered a hand injury in Saturday's training camp session and underwent surgery on Monday. Boeser is expected to miss the first 1-to-2 weeks of the regular season. Boeser's injury will open the door for someone like Conor Garland or Nils Hoglander to move up into the Canucks' top-6 for a short period of time.
Sherwood has had stints with the Ducks and Avalanche since turning pro in 2018, appearing in a combined 87 career NHL games, posting 18 points (7G / 11A). With the Predators he'll likely remain a fringe roster player that will excel during his time in the AHL--he was third in the league in goals (36) and sixth in points (75) in 2022.
