Canucks recall Lekkerimäki, reassign Bains to AHL Abbotsford

Lekkerimäki earns the call-up after a hot streak down in Abbotsford. The Swedish winger has points in three straight games and seven of the last eight. This pushes his season total in the AHL to a team-leading 19 goals and nine assists for 28 points in 32 games.

This won’t be the first stint for Lekkerimäki in Vancouver. He earned a call-up earlier this season in a game against the Calgary Flames on November 12. He failed to hit the scoresheet with his two shots on goal but potted his first NHL goal the following game against the New York Islanders. The sniper showcased his wicked shot off the rush for the opening goal of the game:

The former first-round pick would score the one goal in his five-game stint before being sent back down to Abbotsford. He would earn another shot with the big club on January 6, where he played another six games, adding a goal and an assist. This brought his season point totals in the NHL to two goals and one assist for three points in 11 games with a minus-6 rating in 13:47 minutes of average ice time.

Lekkerimäki gets the promotion to Vancouver after the team has struggled to find the back of the net. Since the 4 Nations Face-off break, the Canucks have scored more than two goals twice, in their most recent game against the Seattle Kraken, averaging two goals per game. The team holds a 1-4 record in those games over that span.

Bains gets sent down after a short two-game stint with the big club. He failed to register a point while playing just 7:12 and 9:03 minutes of ice time in his games. The undrafted winger will now rejoin Abbotsford, where he has seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 32 games this season.

Lekkerimäki will look to enter the Vancouver lineup when they return to action on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks.