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Lukas Reichel, now with the Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Canucks News & Rumours: Reichel, Lekkerimäki & Tolopilo’s New Dad Magic

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 12:20 PM ET

Some nights, you can almost hear the Vancouver Canucks‘ gears grinding. Too many moving parts, not enough Elias Pettersson, and suddenly everyone’s looking around, wondering who’s supposed to drive the bus. That’s been the vibe the last couple of days.

Given the Canucks’ surprise win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, there isn’t panic or even worry. But there is the quiet shuffle teams do when the lineup loses its centre of gravity. Pettersson’s injured, so now everybody takes half a step left, half a step up, and the whole thing feels a bit tilted.

And yet, this group’s characteristic is that it doesn’t fold. They never actually quit moving, which is probably why they keep finding ways to stay on their feet even when the details get ugly. The Minnesota game was a good example of that. A couple of breaks, a couple of smart pushes, and then a goalie who seems to have found his moment at the same time his life off the ice changed forever.

Funny how hockey works. Anyway, here are some of the items that are floating around today in Canucks News & Rumours.

Item One: Could Reichel Be the First Call to Fill Pettersson’s Spot

With Pettersson sidelined, the most obvious move feels like the right one. Give Lukas Reichel another chance. Reichel has barely touched the ice since mid-November — one game, and that’s it. That said, he’s still the forward with the most NHL experience sitting on the shelf. The Canucks initially pushed him into the middle because the lineup was held together with tape the week he showed up. He’s a winger, by experience. But they might need him at centre again to keep the structure from wobbling.

Nobody’s pretending he’s Pettersson. The defensive gap is real. Adam Foote hasn’t been shy about noting that fact. Reichel’s reads away from the puck still wander. But he brings the speed, the puck touches, the possibility of something happening. Still, as the coach, you also get the “what’s he doing now?” moments. It’s a trade-off.

Even so, the alternatives don’t scream realistic. Nils Åman is a safer centre, sure, but getting him up means pushing the roster around in ways you don’t want to unless Pettersson hits the injured reserve list. So the simple move is to bring Reichel back, shelter him as best you can, and hope the group can hold the fort until Pettersson returns. It’s not perfect, but it’s doable. And, the way the Canucks’ season is trending, doable is a luxury they need right now.

Item Two: Tolopilo Delivers a Win After His Wife Delivers Their Baby Girl

Nikita Tolopilo had himself a week. He left the team in Los Angeles to make it home for the birth of his daughter. He came back on Dec. 4, but the story wasn’t finished. On Saturday, against Minnesota, Tolopilo put the bow on the package. In his first start as a brand-new dad, he turned in a calm, steady performance and a 28-save win.

Nikita Tolopilo, Vancouver Canucks (Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Perhaps he was playing with both feet planted in a bigger context. After the game, he thanked his wife in the very real “she let me sleep, she did the hard part” way. His wife delivered their daughter; he delivered the Canucks two points. That’s a little cosmic symmetry the hockey gods must’ve enjoyed.

The only shots that beat him were a tidy 2-on-1 finish by Matt Boldy and a goal from 38-year-old Mats Zuccarello—everything else he absorbed. For a player juggling diapers, flights, and NHL shooters, that’s more composure than you expect. Maybe we’re watching a little turning point for him. Life has a way of shaking things loose.

Item Three: Jonathan Lekkerimäki Heads Back to Abbotsford

It was no surprise that the Canucks sent Jonathan Lekkerimäki back to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL). It’s not a demotion as much as the usual growing-pains reset prospects get once the adrenaline wears off. Four NHL games, one assist, and almost no real chance to show his scoring touch. He barely touched the puck, and you can’t score from the press box.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

In Abbotsford, it’s a whole different story. Five games, three goals, five points. Suddenly, he’s carrying pucks, getting touches in the spots he actually likes, and looking like the player the organization drafted. Sometimes it’s not the league, it’s the role. He needs real minutes where he can play freely, not the hope-you-survive-the-shift minutes with the big club.

Abbotsford is where he should be right now. Power-play time, top-six usage, the puck on his stick instead of flying over his head. The Canucks still value Lekkerimaki. They want him breathing instead of gasping.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

The Canucks host the Detroit Red Wings tonight, and it’ll be another night of juggling without Pettersson. Maybe Reichel gets his look. Maybe Tolopilo keeps the crease warm. Maybe Lekkerimäki scores twice for Abbotsford and pushes the conversation again. One thing about this group: they are far more interesting to watch and far easier to root for than their record suggests.