Canucks place Pierre-Olivier Joseph on injured reserve

We haven’t even started the new season, and injuries are afoot.

On Tuesday, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced that the team has placed defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph on injured reserve. The move is retroactive to September 30, meaning Joseph will be eligible to return to the lineup whenever he’s ready to go.

According to Head Coach Adam Foote, Joseph has been suffering from a groin injury, which has led to his absence from practice over the past three days.

Joseph came to Vancouver after signing a one-year contract back on July 2. The deal carries a league-minimum salary of $775,000. He earned a spot on the team’s opening night roster, proving to be a solid depth piece on the Canucks blue line.

The Laval, Quebec native spent the 2024-25 season with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. After starting the campaign with the Blues, Joseph was traded to Pittsburgh in December, where he spent the first four seasons of his NHL career. Joseph registered just three assists across 47 games. It was the lowest point total in a season in which he appeared in more than 10 games.

The 26-year-old has appeared in 194 NHL contests across five seasons, scoring eight goals and 32 assists for 40 points. He has yet to appear in a Stanley Cup Playoff game. Joseph has also played in 144 American Hockey League games, including both regular season and postseason contests, scoring 15 goals and 54 assists for 69 points.

Fellow blueliner Derek Forbort has also been off the ice for the past few days. According to Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie & Dhali – The Team, Forbort will be returning to practice later today. In the meantime, the Canucks have reportedly called up defender Victor Mancini from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

As a result of the transactions, the Canucks will have $470,000 in cap space.

The Canucks will open up their 2025-26 regular season on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.