It was a quick trip to Vancouver for Linus Karlsson.
After being called up to the big club on Friday, the 24-year-old has been reassigned to Abbotsford ahead of the team’s afternoon game at the Abbotsford Centre.
Despite initial thoughts that he may slot in for the struggling Andrei Kuzmenko, he did not draw into any games.
Already in town, Karlsson will suit up for the banged-up Canucks and take part in his 100th AHL game, riding goals in back-to-back matches. He currently shares second place in team scoring with nine goals and 25 points through 27 games.
Through 99 games, the Swedish forward has enjoyed success, tallying 33 goals and 74 points, firing at a 0.74 clip as a prominent member of the team’s top six and power play unit.
Throughout the season, he has been used as a primary call-up option for Vancouver, marking his fourth call-up/reassignment this year. Through four games at the NHL level, he has been held scoreless, while averaging just over 10 minutes a night.
Abbotsford will play on Sunday afternoon before heading to San Diego to kick-start a three-game road trip. They will face the Gulls and Bakersfield Condors before returning home in February for a match on February 2nd.
The Abbotsford Canucks’ play has dropped in recent weeks, having lost five out of their last eight games, which includes three shutouts. Most of the team’s recent losses have come without Kralsson in the lineup. He is expected to slide back into the Canucks’ top six forward groups and play with Aatu Räty and Chase Wouters. Karlsson should provide the team with some much-needed firepower to a struggling team.
He’ll fit back into the team’s top power play unit, which sits bottom in the league with a 12.9% on the season.
Despite carrying only 12 forwards, Vancouver, who plays again on Monday evening, did not recall any other names from the farm team.
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