Canucks add Merilainen on waivers as Demko ruled out to start season

The Vancouver Canucks used their prime spot on the NHL waiver wire Friday to claim goaltender Leevi Merilainen from the Ottawa Senators, a move that gains importance with Thatcher Demko unavailable to start the regular season. As last year’s bottom team in the standings, Vancouver gets first choice on any player placed on waivers until Nov. 1.

Merilainen slots in behind Lankinen

The 24-year-old Finn had been on the Canucks’ radar throughout the off-season as the club prepared for a lengthy recovery from Demko’s major hip surgery in February. A third-round pick by Ottawa in 2020, Merilainen endured a difficult rookie campaign in the NHL last season, posting an .860 save percentage over 20 games after putting up a .925 mark in 12 appearances the year before.

His track record in the American Hockey League is much stronger, with a .913 save percentage across three seasons. Internally, Vancouver sees him as having more upside than current depth option Nikita Tolopilo, an undrafted 26-year-old who went 6-11-2 with an .881 save percentage in 21 games for the AHL Canucks last season. Merilainen is expected to open the year as backup to Kevin Lankinen.

General manager Ryan Johnson signalled little interest in carrying three goalies, a setup he described as complicated for everyone involved. That points toward Tolopilo potentially being waived to reach Abbotsford, with veteran Chris Driedger — in camp on a professional tryout — providing insurance if Tolopilo is claimed.

Lankinen has been preparing to handle the No. 1 job since before camp and is slated to play the full pre-season finale against the Seattle Kraken. He turned aside 29 of 32 shots in his lone previous pre-season outing, a 3-1 loss in Calgary, and said he arrived early in Vancouver after a heavy summer workload to ensure he was ready to step in.

Chytil sidelined, Cootes sent down, Sasson back at centre

Up front, Filip Chytil’s status was clarified after he left Thursday’s 2-1 exhibition loss to the Edmonton Oilers with a shoulder injury suffered when he tripped over referee Riley Brace. Johnson said Chytil is dealing with a muscle issue, will be out week-to-week and is headed to injured reserve, describing the diagnosis as positive news for a player limited to 12 games last season by head and neck problems.

The Canucks also assigned 19-year-old centre Braeden Cootes, their 2025 first-round pick who recorded three points in three pre-season games, to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Johnson framed the move as part of a longer development path, stressing the value of facing difficult situations in the minors before returning to a more structured NHL environment.

With Cootes in Abbotsford and Chytil out, Max Sasson was back in the middle at practice between wingers Drew O’Connor and Linus Karlsson. After being shifted to the wing at times last season under former assistant coach Adam Foote, Sasson has been used at centre by new head coach Manny Malhotra throughout camp and views the assignment as a chance to solidify himself at that position at the NHL level.