Dhaliwal: Canucks working on deals for Bains, Sasson, and Räty

Bains has been a part of the Canucks organization since signing as an undrafted free agent out of the Red Deer Rebels in 2022. The Surrey, BC native finished his rookie year in Abbotsford with 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 66 games.

The following season was Bains’ breakout, scoring 16 goals and 39 assists for 55 points in 59 games. Bains’ efforts earned him an AHL All-Star Game appearance, where he went on to win MVP of the tournament. That turned heads in the organization, as Bains earned a call-up to the NHL. He would play eight games but was held without a point.

This past season, Bains led Abbotsford in points (11 goals and 43 points) in the regular season, while also playing 13 games in Vancouver, where he would finally score his first NHL goal. Bains would follow up his successful regular season with a seven-goal, 24-point outing en route to a Calder Cup Championship.

Moments after his Bains update, Dhaliwal added that the Canucks are also working on new deals for a pair of centres, Aatu Räty and Max Sasson.

Räty was a standout at last year’s training camp for his unique faceoff technique, where he flips his stick to use his blade as a scoop for an advantage. The Finn made the team out of training camp and went on to play 33 regular season games in the NHL, scoring seven goals and 11 points, finishing with a 57.4% faceoff percentage.

In Abbotsford, Räty scored 17 goals and 40 points in the regular season and was primed to lead the Canucks as the number one centre for their playoff run. However, a pair of injuries limited Räty to just six postseason games.

Sasson signed with the Canucks in the spring of 2023 out of Western Michigan. The Birmingham, Michigan native finished his rookie season in Abbotsford with 18 goals and 42 points in 56 regular season games.

The left-shot centre continued to showcase his speed and skill, which eventually earned him a shot in Vancouver this past year. Sasson appeared in 29 games with the big club, scoring three goals and seven points. During his time in Abbotsford, Sasson scored 13 goals and 32 points in 41 AHL games.

With Räty on the shelf, Sasson was asked to step up and play the top-line centre role. In that role, Sasson finished with five goals and 14 points in 24 games in the Calder Cup playoffs, including the Calder Cup Final opening goal and five points in their Championship series.

Sasson’s agent, Dan Milstein, later confirmed that Sasson earned a one-year, one-way contract.