Jonathan Lekkerimäki has been sent back down to the Abbotsford Canucks.
Given that the Vancouver Canucks are essentially out of the playoff race, that's a decision that might raise some eyebrows. Why not play the kids down the stretch to get them some more NHL experience ahead of next season?
But there's a certain logic to sending Lekkerimäki back down to the AHL. It gives him an opportunity to play significant minutes on a red-hot Abbotsford team that looks poised for a long playoff run.
The 20-year-old winger wasn't getting a lot of ice time in the NHL, sometimes playing fewer than ten minutes per game. That could seemingly be fixed by giving Lekkerimäki a larger role in Vancouver, but head coach Rick Tocchet pushed back on that idea when his own words — "I've got to try to find some more minutes for him" — were presented to him recently.
"I don't know where you want me to play him?" said Tocchet last week. "Do you want me to play him at centre? What do you want? He's on the power play. He's a young kind, we've got to be careful. We know what we're doing when it comes to young guys. I think you guys in the past were bitching about the franchise putting guys in too quickly — we're not doing that. We're going to take our time there."
"You've got to marinate these guys," he added. "You've got to give them some good times — you've got to protect them. We're protecting their confidence. I think they've done a hell of a job, these young guys, on this road trip. This is a good taste for these guys. Whether they play 10-12 minutes or I get them out on a shootout, when I get them out there, I'll make those decisions."
It's been tough for Lekkerimäki to build confidence lately, as he's struggled to get shots in his limited minutes and has tallied just one goal and two assists in his last 18 NHL games. Getting him back down to the AHL to end the season makes sense, as he's racked up points at a remarkably consistent rate in Abbotsford. His 19 goals are tied for seventh among under-21 players in the AHL, which is impressive considering he's played just 32 games.
In fact, Lekkerimäki leads all under-21 players in goals per game at 0.59, which ranks fourth among all AHL players.
Adding that firepower should provide a boost to an Abbotsford Canucks team that is already rolling, having won 13 straight games. They have a chance to wrest first-place in the Pacific Division from the Colorado Eagles, earning themselves a bye in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The canucks have made a commitment to bringing their young players along slowly, giving them a chance to prove themselves in the frying pan of the AHL before throwing them into the fires of the NHL. It's a philosophy that served Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin well with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they had a seemingly endless supply of fully-marinated players in the AHL that could be called upon when needed.
There's another reason why it makes sense to send Lekkerimäki down: it preserves his status as a rookie for next season.
Lekkerimäki has played 24 NHL games for the Canucks this season. The cutoff to be considered a rookie in subsequent seasons is 25 games. While this doesn't have any effect on contracts or the salary cap, it maintains Lekkerimäki's eligibility for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and the All-Rookie Team, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Sure, Lekkerimäki is a long shot for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year next season, but why not at least give him a chance?
Sending Lekkerimäki down to the AHL leaves the Canucks slightly shortstaffed on this week's road trip. Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Nils Åman are currently out with injuries, leaving the Canucks with just 12 forwards available as they face the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. That's enough for a full lineup but doesn't leave them with any injury insurance.
