Canucks: No adieu Aatu Raty, feisty Finn should become roster regular next season
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'Being in the lineup is something I never take for granted,' the Vancouver Canucks ' depth centre told Postmedia during his quest to be an NHL mainstay. 'You always want to be the player who is playing, if you have the lead, or trying to get a goal at the end.'
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That sounded great, but roster reality is more than prose and perspiration.
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Raty is coming off a solid season with 24 goals split between Abbotsford (17) and Vancouver (7), but the downside was AHL playoff injuries that limited him to six games with the Calder Cup champions. However, 40 points in 43 games didn't go unnoticed.
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'Aatu had a strong year in Abbotsford and showed some promise when called up,' said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. 'It was another good step in his development as he continues to learn and grow as a pro. We expect him to compete for a job in Vancouver.'
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Depending on how the Canucks' solve their riddle in the middle to support Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil — especially with the Pius Suter departure — a centre addition may mean Teddy Blueger drops to the fourth line and Raty becomes the 13th forward. But if Blueger is packaged in trade for a pivot, Raty should get that spot.
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Then again, if it's a free-agent acquisition in versatile centre/winger Jack Roslovic, 28, that would be another revolving roster story. And Raty knows about the career carousel.
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'Three years ago, I played 15 NHL games (12 with the New York Islanders and three with Canucks) and thought I belonged,' he recalled. 'My skating is better and I'll keeping working at it and the stick battles.'
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Raty showed improvement last fall. He won 14 of 18 faceoffs against the Seattle Kraken in a Sept. 24 preseason test, and three nights later in Calgary, looked like a wily veteran by finishing off a third-period scoring chance with a deft toe drag in the slot and picking the top corner.
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What really works for the 22-year-old Raty is size, feistiness, face-off efficiency, not being waiver-exempt next season, and getting a one-way, two-year, $1.55-million US contract extension last month. More importantly, there's potential for a waiver claim, if the Canucks try to get him through for an AHL assignment to Abbotsford.
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