Wake With Elias: Mikheyev’s Injury Roller Coaster and Doerrie Leaves Organization

Canucks News

• It was a weird morning of injury news for Ilya Mikheyev. Frank Seravalli reported on Halford and Brough that Mikeheyev may have torn his ACL. This, of course, had fans panicking while simultaneously saying “of course he did”. It would have been a very Canucks way for him to start his tenure. Frank, however, went on to clarify that while it had been a concern, the prognosis was positive and Mikheyev would return in the not-so-distant future. Phew!

• Coach Boudreau went on to confirm this report. It was a brief moment of worry, but thankfully it looks like Mikheyev will be A-Ok. After the Boeser injury news, I don’t know if we could collectively handle the prized free agent signing going down early, to be honest.

• This is coming out on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which the Canucks recognized yesterday. I hope you take some time to reflect on the history of residential schools in Canada today, and to think about ways to take action for good. I'm always glad to see major organizations take these stands. I have a Canucks Indigenous themed shirt and it’s great. Anyways, take the day to reflect and support local Indigenous communities.

• The Canucks had some real, honest to God, NON split quad pre-season action last night, and they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Seattle Kraken. Kuzmenko scored twice, while Pearson rounded out the goal scoring. Listen, could he be the next Sergei Shirokov? Sure. But it’s a hell of a start for Kuzmenko!

• And in perhaps the most promising development of the night, Elias Pettersson was excellent. Given his horrendous start last year, this is an overwhelmingly positive step for EP and the whole club.

• And some big news on the front office side: analytics hire Rachel Doerrie has apparently been let go after not even a full year with the organization. There were rumours sprouting up throughout the week, but Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey Now was able to confirm it last night. There’s still no information as to why, so it’s hard to speculate. Could it be tied to the recent allegations around Francesco Aquillini and child abuse? At the time, we can’t really say so, but it may be worth keeping an eye on. An unfortunate development regardless. She’s a strong hockey mind who represent diversity and forward thinking within the organization.

Hockey News

• A tidy piece of business here by the Toronto Maple Leafs, adding the solid youngster Rasmus Sandin to a 2 x $1.4 million deal. Nothing ground breaking, but I’m sure they’re glad to be done the deal before the season starts.

• In news I’m sure Canucks fans have been following, Jake Virtanen’s Oilers PTO is not going well. To which I say, that’s fine! It was a disturbing development at the time and I’m glad it’s not paying off for anyone.

• Star USA hockey player Brianna Decker is moving into an executive role with the PHF. It would not shock me to see her one day get some sort of role with an NHL club (in management or coaching) or the league more broadly.

• And it’s the first waiver wire of the season, with some familiar names to Canucks fans. Brad Hunt and Michael Carcone, two former Canucks legends, both feature!

BC Place Bulletins

BC Place Bulletins is a Friday WWE feature summarizing scores news from the local Vancouver sports scene.

• The BC Lions play the Ottawa REDBLACKS as the playoffs near. They’ll be handing out these excellent shirts in stadium, if you make the trip to BC Place for the game. Game starts at 7:30 PM.

• In the final Whitecaps home match of the season, it’s Fan Appreciation Night. It’s been an underwhelming season for the Whitecaps and it will be interesting to see where the offseason takes them.

• The Giants play the Victoria Royals at 7:30 PM in WHL action tonight. I’m a Victoria guy, so I’m rooting them on, and as such have included their tweet.