It seemed like the Vancouver Canucks waiving Nils Åman was to make room on the roster for Dakota Joshua. But maybe it wasn't. On Tuesday, the Canucks called up Aatu Räty from the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL and sent down Arshdeep Bains.
It seems like waiving Åman, a centre, had more to do with making room for Räty than Joshua. Instead, it seems like sending Bains down is making room on the roster for Joshua. That's supported by Joshua not taking the morning skate with the Canucks on Tuesday according to The Athletic's Harman Dayal.
If waiving Åman was to make room for Joshua, he'd presumably be in the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks. Instead, it seems he's not quite ready to go. "It was a scheduled day off," said head coach Rick Tocchet of Joshua.
"He's been going pretty hard, so we had a scheduled day off for him." The Canucks calling up Räty comes in the wake of them seeming to remember that Pius Suter, who has served as the team's fourth-line centre for most of the season, is actually a very effective top-six winger. Suter was bumped up to the top-six against the San Jose Sharks, playing with Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland, and he had a fantastic game .
He scored two goals, including the game-winner, and that trio dominated possession together. Accordingly, he's likely to start the Canucks' game against the Anaheim Ducks on that line. "Pius, you can play him anywhere," said Tocchet.
"Sometimes in a game, I will put him back at centre because I need him t.
