Bringing back goaltender Jiri Patera via waiver claim on Monday seemed like a no-brainer for Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin.
After losing goaltender Jiri Patera on the waiver wire last week to the Boston Bruins, it left the Vancouver Canucks in a tough position for their American Hockey League affiliate in Abbotsford. With Patera claimed by Boston, Abbotsford would've been forced to start with a tandem of Nikita Tolopilo and potentially, Ty Young.
However, those plans for Abbotsford were squashed on Monday, in a good way, as the Vancouver Canucks were able to bring back Jiri Patera through a waiver claim. Because the Canucks were the only team to place a waiver claim on Jiri Patera, they are able to assign him right to the American Hockey League, without him needing to clear waivers again.
On Monday when speaking with reporters, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin was asked about claiming Patera off waivers. Allvin shared how much Jiri Patera wanted to be with the staff in Abbotsford, that he wanted to be apart of the organization and the Canucks are excited to have him back.
'I think Boston apologized,' joked Allvin when asked about the waiver situation.He added, 'Jiří told the staff in Abbotsford how much he liked it [there] and how he wanted to be a part of it. We're excited to continue to work with him. He's a good goalie and a good depth guy for us.'
With Patera back in the fold, the Czech goaltender will form one of the American Hockey League's strongest tandems with Nikita Tolopilo, with Abbotsford kicking off the 2024-25 season at the Saddledome in Calgary against the Wranglers on Friday night.
It wouldn't be too shocking to see Jiri Patera appear in at least a few games in Vancouver this season, depending on how things go with Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs, the latter of whom is waivers exempt. However, that'll likely only happen if an injury occurs, which hopefully doesn't happen at all this season, especially considering the current situation with Thatcher Demko.
