As the season winds down, there are still a few things to cheer about. A couple more players made their NHL debut, Hughes tied Edler in franchise points, and the Canucks found a way to win in OT. If you missed the game, here are the hilites? hyelyets? heye liites? highlights! Damn that’s a tough word to spell:
Another game, another face. Nikita Tolopilo and Kirill Kudryavtsev became the 39th and 40th players to put on a Canucks jersey this season. That seems like a lot. Both players played well, Tolopilo letting in only one goal and Kudryavtsev not being noticeable in a good way for a defenseman. It was a fight of two teams knowing they’re hitting the links soon, but for the young guys (and there’s a number of them up from Abby) it’s still important to play hard and prove to yourself and the team that you belong.
“This is like playoff games for me,” Karlsson, a 25-year-old who has spent most of three seasons in the AHL, said after his third goal in 22 NHL games. “I love to play in the NHL, and I try to show that every game. Yes, these games are important, for sure.
“I’m just trying to find a role to make the NHL, and right now they need net-front guys and I’m trying to be one.”
“Yeah, there's a lot of Abby guys,” Raty said. “Abby's had a great season so far, so a lot of guys are getting the chance to show for next year, which is great. I'm sure it's a little bit different here than the end of last year because we're not playing for the playoffs anymore. But I mean, these are huge games for everyone to. . . make an impression. And obviously, making your debut in the NHL is an unbelievable feeling.”
But for Tolopilo and Kudryavtsev, it was their NHL debuts, which has a little more juice to it.
“I wish my parents could watch the game, but it's so complicated for us to get a visa,” Tolopilo said. “But I think they enjoyed the game at five in the morning back home in Minsk. I think my mother was so nervous, more than me, for sure.
“I'm just so glad that I get a chance. Like, it was a long journey for me. I'm so happy, like, what I've done before. Now. . . even more, put in hard work in the summer. We're not done in Abby (for the AHL playoffs). I want to have a long run there, too. Just to build from this game, I think it's going to give me a little bit more confidence, for sure.”
For Tolopilo, it was something he had always wanted to achieve. Even though he wasn’t a good Canadian boy, playing in the NHL was a dream.
“I don't think you need to find a lot of motivation; the NHL, it's the best league. Like, I was dreaming about that since I was a kid. I watched highlights, tried to watch the (games) online. My hometown in Belarus is far away from here. You just, like, want to play here.”
Tocc thought they played well, but understands the context of the games. It’s not so much about this last little stretch, but what it means for you for next season.
“Tolopilo, I thought he was big, he was good,” Tocchet said. “You know, he didn't have a lot of action, but sometimes it's harder to play those games. I thought he did a nice job.
“It's good they're getting a taste. But nothing's guaranteed. This is something that, you know, they see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, where are you? What are you willing to do this summer?”
One more game until that nice long break.
Also, Hughes tied Edler for most points for a defenseman in franchise history at 409. It took Eddy the Eagle a solid 925 games, while Hughes blistered through it in 432 games.
And here’s a little update from Drance on the Willander situation:
Willander, whose NCAA season ended last weekend, went home to Boston from St. Louis over the weekend and resumed his normal student life. He didn’t fly west to begin his professional career, even though just about everyone knows he’s ready to compete at the NHL level (or at least the AHL level).
Contract talks aren’t really progressing as hoped for by both sides, and at issue, primarily, are the Schedule A bonuses.
The Canucks have a relatively strict, somewhat below market value team structure that they use in signing prospects to entry-level contracts, and they’re unwilling to bend at this juncture. As an illustration of this, Jonathan Lekkerimäki was the 15th pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and his ELC contains $475,000 worth of potential Schedule A bonuses per season — which comes in below 2021 15th pick Sebastian Cossa ($850,000 worth of potential Schedule A bonuses per season) and 2024 15th pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard ($500,000 worth).
Both sides seem to largely agree that Willander is ready to begin his professional career. Both sides are largely in agreement that the contract can start with the 2025-26 campaign, with Willander then having the option to sign an amateur tryout and join the Abbotsford Canucks.
On the bonus structure, however, Willander’s camp is looking at the market price for comparable players — and the maximum bonuses that prospect Zeev Buium signed for with the Minnesota Wild over the weekend — and asking for a commensurate deal. Vancouver, however, is unwilling to bend on its internal ELC structure.
The deal could well get done this week, but as of Monday night, there was no agreement in place, contrary to reports. And to this point, negotiations appear to be slow-moving.
Willander is back in Boston. He’s demonstrating that he’s willing to remain at college, which would certainly enhance his leverage. The Canucks, meanwhile, are refusing to blink.
Meanwhile, in Abbotsford, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate is playoff bound and its season is winding down. The club will have a week of practices after the regular season and prior to the playoffs, so there’s still time for a deal to get done and for Willander to get acclimated to a new system and the realities of professional hockey.
If the deal gets done, Vancouver can get Willander up and running for the postseason push with Abbotsford. And give him an opportunity to gather additional experience and prepare to make the NHL club in the fall.
First, however, there needs to be movement. First, the two sides need to find a way to hash out a deal.
Next and last game is Wednesday against the Knights.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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