Is Jonathan Lekkerimäki Making the Canucks' Decision Harder?

Sometimes a young player doesn't have to dominate a preseason game to make an impression. Sometimes he just has to start showing up in the right places. That might have been the story with Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

He was pretty quiet in the first period. Nothing wrong with his game, but nothing that had you sitting back thinking, “Well, there's a roster spot solved.” Then the second period came along, and Lekkerimäki became much more noticeable. He started finding open ice. He was around the puck more. And, perhaps most interestingly, he showed that he could play with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk.

Now, that's where things get interesting.

Related: The Canucks May Have a Decision to Make at Center

Is Lekkerimäki Making a Case for the Top Six?

Lekkerimäki won’t make the Canucks because of one good preseason period. That's not how these decisions work. But coaches look for the little things. Can a young player read the play quickly? Can he find the soft spots in the defensive coverage? Can he keep up with skilled linemates without disappearing?

In the second period, Lekkerimäki gave us some glimpses. The open-ice movement was particularly interesting. That's the part of his game that can sometimes get lost when we're talking about a young player trying to make an NHL roster. Everybody wants to see the goals and the highlight-reel shots. But getting into the right position in the first place is a big part of playing in the NHL.

And playing alongside Pettersson and DeBrusk gives us another little window into what might be possible. Maybe the bigger question isn't whether Lekkerimäki is ready to be a star. That's a conversation for another day. The question is whether he's making the decision about him a little harder.

With Lekkerimäki, the Canucks Found What Preseason Is All About

The Canucks have decisions to make. Young players aren't just competing against veterans for jobs; they're competing against the possibility that another year of development might be the better option. Lekkerimäki doesn't have to win that argument every night. He just has to keep making it harder to send him somewhere else.

That's actually one of the more intriguing parts of preseason. The score doesn't always tell you much. A player can go through a quiet stretch and still leave you thinking about what he might become. Lekkerimäki did that here. The first period was easy to forget. The second period wasn't.

And if he keeps producing those little moments — finding open ice, staying involved and showing he can play with players like Pettersson and DeBrusk — Vancouver's decision might get considerably more interesting.

Sometimes that's all a young player needs. Make the decision harder.

Related: What the Bruins' Hronek Offer Really Tells Us About the Canucks