‘He’s very smart and committed. He just comes in every day to prove something and he earned every day here.’ — Canucks GM Patrik Allvin on centre Aatu Raty
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The decisions on roster deadline day were about the present and about a promising future.
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The Vancouver Canucks placed Thatcher Demko and Dakota Joshua on season-opening injury non-roster status Monday instead of the more customary long term injury reserve (LTIR). The club wanted to avoid that route to accrue cap space for the season and especially trade-deadline flexibility.
It’s a designation that applies to players on one-way contracts, and because Demko and Joshua were obviously unable to pass a training-camp physical, they have that roster tag. They have been skating in the morning with new skills coach Jason Krog, so there is progress on that front.
And staying off LTIR was just as important to take the next development step.
“It definitely helps our competition with some flexibility, and all good teams have depth and internal competition,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “I’m happy for our coaches to have harder decisions to make now, and it’s good for younger players to get call-ups. There are a lot of hungry players in Abbotsford this year.”
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The hardest decision to be salary-cap compliant by commencement of this NHL season was to reward prospects Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Raty with roster spots. They have earned it, but the devil is always in the bottom-line details.
Raty, 21, is staying because he carries extra value as a centre. And Bains, 23, after a strong camp and good preseason, is still off to Abbotsford along with waiver-claim goaltender Jiri Patera and defenceman Erik Brannstrom. Bains could still return at some point.
As for Raty, the plaudits have been plenty.
“He’s going into his third year of pro and learning the details of playing a 200-foot game,” said Allvin. “He’s very smart and committed. He just comes in every day to prove something and he earned every day here. But it isn’t going to be easier with the competition for roster spots.
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“So far, he’s still here.”
Raty also hasn’t been hard to spot.
Aside from his prominence in the faceoff circle and how he meshed with linemates Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland in the preseason, Raty was often the last on the practice ice and picking up pucks like a true rookie. He’s coming off a solid AHL season with 52 points (18-34) in 72 games and believes he’s ready to take the next career step.
“I’ve had a great camp with good details and good linemates who I matchup well with,” said Raty. “I’m ready for this. Two years ago, I played 15 NHL games (12 with the Islanders and three with the Canucks) and thought I belonged.
“My skating is better and I’ll keeping working at it, and stick battles. Just getting more comfortable in the North American game.”
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Canucks coach Rick Tocchet admitted the Finnish centre looks like a different player this year. Raty won 14 of 18 faceoffs against the Seattle Kraken on Sept. 24, and on Sept. 28 in Calgary, he looked like a wily veteran by the manner in which the 6-foot-2, 190-pound pivot finished off a third-period scoring chance with a deft toe drag in the slot and picked the top corner.
“You look to see if it can be sustainable, and there are a couple of coverage things that weren’t mistakes, but stuff he has to learn,” assessed Tocchet. “Two years ago, there weren’t a lot of hard decisions to make, but you have to credit the management of Jim (Rutherford), Patrik (Allvin) and R.J. (Ryan Johnson) for creating more depth. You always have to be strong at centre and defence.”
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For Bains, 23, there’s a good chance for a recall after playing eight NHL games last season, and the steps he took at this camp and the preseason. The undrafted Surrey native did the work to get quicker and stronger and improve his awareness and compete level. He’s always had a knack for scoring and his two preseason goals spoke to that strength.
“It was tough,” Allvin admitted about the re-assignment decision. “We met this morning and we still have a couple of days (before the opener) and things could change. But we’re very pleased with how he prepared himself in the summer and he just got better — especially his last two games — against the full Edmonton lineup and carried himself very well.
“We’re very excited and Tocchet hasn’t made up his mind for the lineup Wednesday.”
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Bains checked a lot of boxes and met a lot of his own goals.
“I wanted to come in and be more mature and build off what I learned,” he said. “The coaches are happy with what they’ve seen and I’m excited to see what I can do. It’s the speed, and there were some things I had to figure out and it’s going to help me now.”
On Sept. 30 in Edmonton, Bains looked like he belonged with strong play and a fine finish. He read the play on the Canucks’ first power play and picked his spot. Daniel Sprong found Kiefer Sherwood down low, and he spotted Bains, who roofed a quick shot.
“He’s getting stronger,” said Tocchet. “Can he keep that level up? It’s winning battles and no turnovers, and if you get a chance to score — his power-play goal was helluva goal — and just things like that.
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“It’s the next level for him. To me, he’s an energy guy with quickness and puck skills to win battles, and he could be a very good guy for us in that category.”
The journey has been the adventure for Bains. He put up 55 points (16-39) in 59 games for the AHL affiliate last season and was also named AHL All-Star Challenge most valuable player. He’s also one of only four Punjabi players to play in the NHL, the others being Robin Bawa, Manny Malhotra and Jujhar Khaira.
Bains is also the first South Asian to capture the WHL scoring title with 112 points (43-69) in the 2021-22 season with the Red Deer Rebels. It’s why the Canucks then signed Bains to a three-year, two-way, $2.45-million US entry-level deal because they were sold on the player and the person.
Add a pledge to grow the game in his home community and it’s the classic case of paying it forward.
“It’s a huge part of why I play the game, and for the kids who look up to me,” he stressed. “I learned that pretty quickly after I signed that they’re pushing for me, and that’s something special. I plan on always being there for the community.”
bkuzma@postmedia.com
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