Injured Canucks forward a full participant in practice

Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter has not been in the team’s lineup since a Nov. 12th victory over the Montreal Canadiens. That could soon change, as Rink Wide Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson reports that Suter was on the ice in a regular jersey for Canucks practice Friday, rather than a non-contact one.

Signed to strengthen the Canucks’ bottom-six center depth, Suter has been uneven in Vancouver. His offensive numbers are well below expectations, but with Suter as a regular face in their lineup the Canucks won far more often than they lost. The Canucks have fallen off a little bit, and have won just five of their last ten games. Perhaps the return of Suter, who scored 15 goals and 36 points in 2021-22, can help them return to their winning ways.

Some other notes from the NHL’s Western Conference:

• The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus relays word from Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson who says that forward Andreas Athanasiou is inching closer to a return and is close to returning to skating. Although a full return to the ice is still a long way off for Athanasiou, this is a positive development as the forward works his way back from a groin injury. The speedy 29-year-old last played on November 9th and scored 20 goals and 40 points last season.
• There appears to be a bit of a flu bug going around the Calgary Flames, as the team has announced that two forwards, Walker Duehr and A.J. Greer, did not skate Friday as a result of the flu. Greer played Thursday against Carolina while Duehr last played on December 5th, but this announcement puts into question each player’s availability for the Flames’ next game, which is Saturday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils.