Had the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the second round, they strongly considered inserting Jonathan Lekkerimäki into the lineup to fill the void left behind by Brock Boeser.
Here’s what Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre learned when he spoke with Vancouver’s assistant general manager (AGM) Ryan Johnson on Friday before the rookies took part in the 2024 Young Stars Classic. The AGM said that the upper brass had intense discussions on whether it would make sense to bring the young Swedish forward into the fold if they were able to head to Dallas.
“If we go into Dallas, can he help?” Johnson said of the talks that occurred in May. “I mean, Brock Boeser’s injured and we have this right-shot winger right here. Who knows where things would have gone had we continued on.”
It is quite fascinating to consider just how close Lekkerimäki was to making his NHL debut this past spring. One has to wonder if it would be premature to use him so soon after playing pro hockey in North America a few weeks prior in Abbotsford, especially given the fact it would occur right in the thick of the postseason. However, given his talent and the impressive development curve in the two years since being taken 15th overall, perhaps Lekkerimäki would not have looked out of place.
In any case, the reality now is his path to the NHL this year got a lot tougher with the arrivals of Jake DeBrusk, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong, among others this summer. Even if he doesn’t make it onto the Canucks’ roster out of camp, the front office views him in high regard and believes he can eventually find his way on the team down the line.
Lekkerimäki isn’t phased by the low odds of him being a Canuck to begin the year; he sees this camp as a great chance to prove himself and knows the organization has a good plan for him.
“I think there is a good opportunity,” Lekkerimäki said. “Hopefully, I’ll do my best every day. Play my game, do my best, be humble out there and just work hard. I think I’m just better overall, stronger with the puck [than last year]. Hopefully, I play a little more physical than before.”
This past season was a successful one for the 20-year-old winger where he led Örebro HK of the SHL in scoring with 31 points (19 goals and 12 assists) and tied Noah Östlund for Team Sweden’s scoring leader at the 2024 World Juniors en route to a silver medal. Lekkerimäki also got a six-game stint with the Abbotsford Canucks where he recorded a goal and an assist in that span. His strong season in the SHL won him the Rookie of the Year award, and he was ranked 28th by DailyFaceoff’s top 75 prospects.
With his first full season in North America fast approaching, it appears likely that Lekkerimäki will begin the year in Abbotsford. Even if he does not get into an NHL game this season, the Canucks have a lot of faith in him to be a key part of their long-term plans.
“Sometimes the best development and support you can do for a player is just to back off a little,” Johnson said. “That was a great lesson for us during Jonathan’s first year. Just let him be. Let him be a person. We knew we just needed to let him take his time. We believed in the skill set; that’s why he was drafted where he was. And we feel that it has paid off to this point. The players will make their own bed as far as what they’re ready for and when. But we have a lot of belief in him.”
