The Vancouver Canucks could be short Dan Hamhuis until after Christmas
Just when we all thought the Vancouver Canucks were riding high again…
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On November 20th, the Vancouver Canucks sent out a tweet that defenseman Dan Hamhuis, 31, would not be returning to the game due to a lower-body injury. The team chose not to specify exactly what was ailing the veteran, simply specifying it was lower body-related.
Which, you know, most of us had gathered when we saw the play.
The team placed Hamhuis on injured reserve on November 24th, and have finally given official word that it’s a groin injury, suggesting the blue liner could be out until after Christmas. Since he averages 20:36 TOI this season, that could serve as a significant hit to Vancouver — not the news they needed for the holidays, since this has been a season like they haven’t seen since 2011.
With Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa serving as the only two defensemen on the Canucks roster averaging more ice time than Hamhuis, this team could find themselves searching for a replacement. The Vancouver lineup may be powerful this season, but it’s also a bit older than most — with guys like Bieksa (33) the Sedin twins (34) and Radim Vrbata (33) leading the team in ice minutes, injuries are going to be a higher risk factor in addition to a lowered endurance level when ice minutes get stretched out even thinner.
With Hamhuis out of the lineup for the near future, though, this could be the chance Luca Sbisa has finally been searching for to establish his value on the franchise he only recently joined. Part of the Ryan Kesler blockbuster trade, Sbisa has four points (2G, 2A) and records a plus-three in his first eighteen games as a Canuck.
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