Canucks resolve half of their issue by assigning Akito Hirose to Abbotsford

As we've already written about, the Vancouver Canucks have the spectre of Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) hanging over them. More specifically, that they may have to go down this route early in the regular season, rather than their preferred plan of using it closer to the trade deadline.

The reason for this, is due to a couple of injuries the Canucks have been dealing with during the past week. Akito Hirose suffered a concussion last Saturday in preseason action, while Pius Suter has an upper-body injury which he sustained on Monday night in a scuffle with Corey Perry.

Well, Canucks fans will be delighted to discover that one of the injured duo is now in the clear. As announced by the Canucks via social media on Saturday, general manager Patrik Allvin announced that Hirose has been assigned to Abbotsford.

A pleasant surprise with Hirose

This is somewhat of a surprise, albeit the positive kind for the Canucks. This is because Hirose did not return to the ice until Friday, towards the end of the team's morning skate.

The thinking was that the blue line would then have to go 24 hours without showing any concussion symptoms. Then he would be involved in contact drills, before having to go another 24 hours without any lingering signs of the concussion he suffered against the Calgary Flames.

It was at this point Hirose would then be cleared to play, meaning the Canucks could assign him to Abbotsford. However, rather than the projected timeline of Monday, he has instead been cleared two days earlier and in the process removed one of the team's concerns.

Regardless, this is good news for the 25-year-old, both in respect of his personal safety and health, as well as his being able to return to action. He dealt with injuries last season which limited him to 33 games in Abbotsford and just three with the Canucks at the NHL level, and he deserves some good fortune as he looks to progress in his playing career.

What about Suter?

In any event, this still leaves the situation surrounding Suter to deal with, and the Canucks needing him back sooner than later to avoid having to likely use LTIR. Now it should be noted he did skate with the main group on Saturday morning while wearing a no-contact jersey, so at least this is a positive step for both player and team.

There is some leeway with Suter, in so much as the Canucks don't need to have him back for Wednesday night's home opener versus the Flames. As Patrick Johnston of The Province advised, if need be, the Canucks can go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen.

Yes this isn't ideal, but at least it's a short-term solution. However, the Canucks will need Suter back before they begin their first road trip of the season, otherwise they will have to accept the reality of using LTIR and having their preferred plan ruined not even one week into the 2024-25 regular season.

We suspect that Suter will return to action in time for the first game of the road trip on Oct. 15, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, until or if this happens, Allvin and the rest of the front office will understandably be concerned.

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