It has become clear that the Vancouver Canucks should plan or be planning to find an alternative option to backup goalie Arturs Silovs, who has won only one game this year and has allowed nine goals in his last two starts.
On Saturday morning, the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators agreed to an interesting deal--at least one that should be interesting to the Canucks. The Avalanche sent 24-year-old backup goalie Justus Annunen to the Predators, alongside a 2025 sixth-round pick, in exchange for veteran backup goalie Scott Wedgewood.
We have traded Justus Annunen and a 2025 draft pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Scott Wedgewood. pic.twitter.com/UXXYvAynB6
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 30, 2024
Neither Wedgewood nor Annunen has played particularly well this season, but the Avs clearly believe that Wedgewood is good enough to give incumbent starter Alexandar Georgiev a breather as he continues to work his way back into form.
Canucks have options when it comes to Arturs Silovs
The Canucks have some options with the struggling Silovs. Do they include Silovs in a trade to try and find Kevin Lankinen 2.0, or do they send Silovs to the AHL and give someone else a try? Silovs is waivers-exempt, so the Canucks would not have to worry about losing him to another NHL team for free.
Former Vegas Golden Knights goalie Jiri Patera has nine games of NHL experience and owns a career .902 save percentage in the NHL, but he may not be an upgrade over Silovs. Patera is 2-2-2 with the Abbotsford Canucks this season with a 2.79 GAA and .899 save percentage. That probably won't get it done, even in the interim as Thatcher Demko works his way back from his knee injury.
Independent of what they do with Silovs, the Canucks' best option is a trade that looks like what Colorado did with Annunen and Wedgewood.
Perhaps Kaapo Kahkonen, who played one game with Colorado and allowed four goals on 20 shots, is an option? After a hot run with the New Jersey Devils last season, Kahkonen is now plying his trade in the AHL in the Winnipeg Jets organization with the Manitoba Moose.
In six games with the Devils last season, Kahkonen was 1-4-0 with a .923 save percentage and one shutout. He also won 28 games for the Minnesota Wild between 2020 and 2022 before ending up with the tire fire that is the San Jose Sharks.
Just some food for thought as the Canucks continue to evaluate the goalie situation behind Lankinen.