Jonathan Lekkerimäki has been a force for the Abbotsford Canucks when returning to the AHL at various points this season. Despite only playing in 16 games for Abbotsford this season, the forward leads his team in goals (10) and sits at fifth in points (16). In terms of offensive output and the skills he’s shown so far this season, Lekkerimäki absolutely deserves a shot at some NHL playing time this season. Here’s why giving him that time right now isn’t the wisest decision.
Lekkerimäki Is Finding Consisentcy At The AHL Level
Lekkerimäki got his rookie season in the AHL off to a good start, as the forward scored 19 goals and nine assists in 36 games played. He did all this while bouncing from Vancouver to Abbotsford due to injuries within the organization, also while scoring three goals and three assists in 24 games at the NHL level. All things considered, Lekkerimäki’s efforts in a split season were impressive — but not necessarily something that’s good for his development.
When he returned to the AHL for a more extended period of time this season, Lekkerimäki made an automatic impact. After returning from injury, the forward put up three goals and two assists in five games with Abbotsford, ultimately helping him receive a call-up at the end of November. Lekkerimäki played in four games with the Canucks before being sent back down to Abbotsford at the beginning of December.
Since then, Lekkerimäki has remained in Abbotsford, though he has missed two different stints due to injury and illness. Even so, with his current four-game point streak, it appears that Lekkerimäki has found comfort in consistency playing with Abbotsford, which will be integral to his development moving forward. Calling him up when he’s playing with consistent linemates and getting proper minutes would only hamper his growth.
Vancouver Needs To Figure Out What Moves They’re Making
With the 2026 Winter Olympics coming up in February, the Canucks have a lot of things to sort out before they can consider giving young players like Lekkerimäki NHL minutes. For starters, it would make no sense to bring him up now, as the league will be going on break in two weeks, resulting in the forward being sent down then to get some more playing time with Abbotsford.
The fact that Vancouver is getting healthy bodies back, as well as the fact that the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline will occur at the start of March, means that Lekkerimäki probably won’t get the kind of minutes he should be getting. With Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil back in the lineup, as well as Marco Rossi likely to return immediately after the Olympic break, there may not be enough room for Lekkerimäki with so many wingers — particularly veterans — stuffing Vancouver’s depth chart.
Adding to Vancouver’s stockpile on the wings is the fact that the Canucks are expected to be a seller come the trade deadline. Vancouver already traded Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks last Monday, though it seems as though they’re not quite done yet. On one hand, as a rebuilding team, Vancouver will want to give the players they’re looking at moving on from a fair amount of minutes to showcase their skills. On the other hand, playing a young player like Lekkerimäki with a group that might not even be in-tact in a couple weeks’ time will mess with the forward’s consistency even more. It’s one thing to bring him from one team to another; swapping multiple pieces in a roster he’s playing on will make an even bigger difference.
Why A Full AHL-Season Could Be Beneficial To Lekkerimäki
Even after the trade deadline, the Canucks may be tempted to call Lekkerimäki up to give him proper NHL minutes. The argument could be made that giving him some NHL time will allow him to adjust to the league while getting used to playing with some of Vancouver’s younger players at the NHL level. As helpful as this might be, overall, letting him stay in the AHL is probably the better decision.
If the Canucks truly are rebuilding, as they say they are, the two months after the trade deadline probably aren’t going to be very pretty for Vancouver. Players’ confidence may take a hit if the team ends up on yet another 11-game losing streak. While things aren’t going much better in Abbotsford, the team is starting to find some success while retaining that Calder Cup culture that helped propel them to a championship in 2025. A positive atmosphere like that will help a player like Lekkerimäki approach the game with a more positive mindset compared to what he may develop during an end-of-season skid at the NHL level.
Mindset aside, another positive point of Lekkerimäki remaining in Abbotsford for the rest of the season is that it gives him a break from the back-and-forth. After jumping around in 2024–25, and then bouncing back and forth a little more this season, the forward will have played quite a bit by the end of this season. While the trip from Abbotsford to Vancouver is nowhere near as bad of a commute as it could be for some AHL players, the amount of playing time Lekkerimäki has taken part in is a good chunk more than what he’s been used to in the past when playing in the SHL. Keep in mind that this is a second-year player who played in a total of 76 games last year at both the NHL and AHL level as well as in the post-season. He’s also dealt with two different injuries this season and sustained another one during the Calder Cup playoffs last year. More back-and-forth and switching between different leagues’ styles of play may result in him re-aggravating something or even sustaining another injury.
At the end of the day, Lekkerimäki will make his way back to the NHL. Despite how much he’s earned it with his recent stretches of play, now is not the time for that. It’s in the organization’s best interest to give a young player like Lekkerimäki the proper minutes to develop his game in a stable environment while the NHL-side figures out the direction they want to go in.
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