Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Sunday that center Aatu Raty has been recalled from the AHL Abbotsford Canucks under emergency conditions.
This move comes as the result of injuries to center Elias Pettersson and winger Nils Hoglander, who each left Saturday afternoon's loss to the New York Rangers and did not return.
Although Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed both players are day-to-day and not officially ruled out for Monday night's game against the New Jersey Devils, Raty's return to Vancouver indicates the Canucks are likely expecting to be without one of or both players.
Prior to his injury, Pettersson was riding a six-game point streak that saw him earn three goals, six assists, and nine points, not including his 14 hits and 10 blocked shots. This was the kind of performance the Canucks needed from Pettersson earlier in the year.
They finally got it, and now he is injured again. Go figure.
In any event, Raty, 22, joins Abbotsford teammate Linus Karlsson in Vancouver, as both players are with the team under emergency conditions.
Raty has played well in his second full season in the Canucks organization, ripping up the AHL with 17 goals, 22 assists, and 39 points in 41 games. The Finn is currently on pace to finish his third season in the AHL with 22 goals, 28 assists, and 50 points in 52 games, though this depends on how long his stay is in Vancouver.
Canucks fans will recall that Raty was up with the big club in earlier parts of the season, producing two goals, two assists, and four points in 21 games while receiving very limited playing time.
Between the Canucks and New York Islanders, Raty has played 36 games at the NHL level, scoring a total of four goals, three assists, and seven points. Modest totals, indeed, and the former second-round pick is still young.
That said, this will be a big opportunity - one that is deserved - for Raty to continue to try to establish himself at the NHL level and make a broader push for a full-time roster spot in the 2025-26 season.
Raty is not the greatest skater, but he appears to have already mastered the timing and mental elements of AHL play. The 6-foot-2 center also possesses adequate playmaking skills and has developed a feel for his teammates and the system he plays in Abbotsford.
Should Raty find a way to stick at the NHL level, the Canucks could have a potentially formidable group of centers that includes Raty, Pettersson, and Filip Chytil. Time will tell, starting on Monday.