Canucks: Big AHL performances from Bains and Karlsson may carry into NHL success
There is little doubt that this spring's epic run by the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Final bodes well for the future of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization.
Article content
Winning, after all, brings good vibes, and good vibes bring you goodwill.
Article content
Article content
And winning at the AHL level usually means some good things for your NHL team a couple seasons down the line.
Article content
The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful that this spring's solid run will yield positive things for the NHL club as soon as next season.
Article content
Article content
Yes, we're talking about you, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson.
Article content
The two wingers were massive performers Tuesday, helping the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead over the Charlotte Checkers.
Article content
Bains' all-around good game sense has been on display ever since he made the jump to pro hockey in 2022.
Article content
But his emergence as a big-game player is notable. He was one of Abbotsford's best performers all season long. In the playoffs, it took him a while to score an actual goal — he only has five — but those five have all come in crunch time.
Article content
The first three were in the final two games of the Western Conference final against Texas, and the latest two came on Tuesday, along with two assists, leading the way in a 6-1 romp over Charlotte.
Article content
Karlsson, meanwhile, has 11 goals and 11 assists in this playoff run, including goals in both games two and three of this series against Charlotte.
Article content
He hs been a player on a mission all season. After a rather underwhelming NHL callup last fall, he clearly put the bit between his teeth, and doubled down on what he needs to be, because when he came back to the NHL later in the season, he was a solid, hard-working presence. He is not the fleetest of foot, but he's strong and has hockey smarts that have carried him this far.
Article content
Both players aren't going to be stars in the NHL, but they have guts and brains and dedication to the craft, exactly what you want in homegrown depth wingers. And both would help the NHL team if they can turn themselves into such players.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
25 minutes ago
- National Post
Canada's Stakusic bows out of NBO with first-round loss to Cristian
MONTREAL — Canada's Marina Stakusic put up a valiant effort, but ultimately fell to Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round of the National Bank Open on Sunday. Article content The 142nd-ranked Stakusic, in her fourth appearance at the NBO, was making her main draw debut in Montreal after bowing out in the second round of last year's tournament, held in Toronto. Article content Article content Article content The 20-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., got off to a strong start, breaking Cristian in the Romanian's very first service game to go up 2-0 in the opening set. The Canadian broke her opponent again in the eighth game to take the opening set 6-2. Article content Cristian wasted little time, however, getting on the board in the second set, breaking Stakusic at love in the opening game. The Romanian, currently ranked a career-high 49th in the WTA rankings, would go on to break her opponent twice more as she evened the match at a set apiece. Article content The third set played out almost identically to that of the second, with Cristian taking the opening game on Stakusic's serve. The Bucharest native then broke twice more on her way to her first-ever win in her first career appearance at the NBO. Article content Cristian will now play Czechia's Linda Noskova in the second round. Noskova, the 20th seed of the tournament, is coming off a runner-up finish at the Prague Open, where she lost Saturday to compatriot Marie Bouzkova in three sets. Article content Stakusic set the table for what promises to be a busy day for Canadians on Montreal's Centre Court. Article content Highly-touted 18-year-old Victoria Mboko is set to make her main draw debut at the National Bank Open later this afternoon against Australia's Kimberly Birrell. Toronto's Mboko has had a breakout 2025 season on tour, qualifying for both the French Open and Wimbledon, where she reached the third and second round, respectively. Article content Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., will open up the night session against two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova. The 25-year-old Canadian, who won the NBO in Toronto in 2019, is coming off a strong showing at the Hopman Cup last week in Italy, as she teamed up with Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime to capture the exhibition team tournament. Andreescu won all three of her singles matches in straight sets, dropping only nine games at the competition. Article content Action concludes on Centre Court with Vancouver's Rebecca Marino taking on French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot. The 34-year-old Marino has struggled this season, winning just one WTA Tour-level match all season. Article content
National Post
25 minutes ago
- National Post
Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk placed on seven-day IL
Article content The Jays are expected to add to their roster as Thursday's 6 p.m. MLB trade deadline approaches. Article content Sunday, the club was forced to subtract a key piece to their league-leading lineup when all-star catcher Alejandro Kirk was placed on the seven-day concussion injury list. Article content Article content Kirk is in the midst of a break-out season, both at the plate and behind it, but he did take a foul ball flush off his mask in the second inning of Saturday's 6-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Article content Article content His bat in the middle of the lineup will be missed, but this Jays team, if anything, has shown to be quite resilient in times of duress. Article content For now, Tyler Heineman is expected to fill the void, no easy task it must be stated. Article content Heineman himself was placed on the concussion IL earlier this season. Article content He has pieced together a solid year for the Blue Jays. Article content Still, Heineman will need to step up as he faces his biggest test of the season. Article content Ali Sanchez was called up to replace Kirk. Article content With all due respect to Sanchez, he looked out of his element when he was first called up by the big-league club. Article content At this stage barring some move out of the blue, the Jays were left with no other choice. Article content Kirk has been one of the primary catalysts to the Jays' surprising season. Article content While he lacks foot speed, not many make solid contact at the plate quite like Kirk. Article content And certainly no one frames pitches like Kirk. Article content
CBC
26 minutes ago
- CBC
Blue Jays place all-star catcher Alejandro Kirk on 7-day IL with concussion
Social Sharing The Toronto Blue Jays have placed all-star catcher Alejandro Kirk on the seven-day injured list with a concussion. In a corresponding move, the club selected catcher Ali Sanchez to the Major League roster and will be active for Sunday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers. The 26-year-old Kirk was pulled in the fourth inning of Saturday's 6-1 win over the Tigers after he took a foul tip off his face mask. Kirk is sixth in MLB with a batting average of .304. He also has seven home runs and 47 runs batted in in 88 games this season. Toronto Blue Jays jump to the top of the American League 2 days ago The Toronto Blue Jays sit atop the American League after defeating the Detroit Tigers 11-4 on Thursday. Johnny Giunta, co-host of the Gate 14 Podcast, says production is coming 'from guys that you never really expected' and that's contributing to the team's success.
