@Canucks/Twitter
As the regular season is only a few days away the Vancouver Canucks were primed to make their last few cuts to their lineup. After dropping their last pre-season contest last night 3-2 against the Edmonton Oilers, some players had to know the writing was on the wall.
The Canucks have sent Justin Bailey, Madison Bowey, Philip Di Giuseppe, and Travis Hamonic to their new American Hockey League affiliate team the Abbotsford Canucks. The newly formed team is primed and ready to make a statement after the big club made moves to not only bolster their lineup but also give their prospects something to fight for.
General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the #Canucks have reduced their pre-season roster by four players.
DETAILS | https://t.co/XYF4ekygha pic.twitter.com/mCZyKc5Z0U
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) October 10, 2021
As the team sends Hamonic to the AHL he has to go through waivers, where every team has the option to claim his rights before his 1-way contract can be moved. The Canucks signed Hamonic to a two-year six-million-dollar deal back in July, but after dealing with personal matters he was unable to attend training camp or the pre-season.
This season the Canucks have little to no cap room left the savings the Canucks desperately need could come from either Hamonic being claimed, meaning a team would take on the entire 3 million dollars a year cap hit, or they would get a percentage of relief by sending him to Abbotsford.
@Canucks/Twitter
This isn’t the end for Bailey, Bowey, Di Giuseppe, and Hamonic or at least we don’t hope so. There is plenty of talent to go around and it may not belong till we see any one of these players in a Vancouver jersey. Bailey a big power-forward has been inching his way to the NHL for years.
Bowey and Di Giuseppe look to make a statement this year in Abbotsford to push their way into the lineup if injuries arise, knowing Vancouver’s luck we will see them soon.