NHL News

Canucks News & Rumors: Lankinen, Palmieri & Allvin

Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen is playing with Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Will he see some sometime in the crease?

by
Old Prof
February 13, 2025

In this edition of Canucks News & Rumours, the Vancouver Canucks are on a break during the 4 Nations Face-Off. I’ll touch on some highlights from the tournament (Kevin Lankinen is on Team Finland and Elias Pettersson is on Team Sweden). Second, I’ll dive into a trade rumor involving a New York Islanders forward that the Canucks may be looking at ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

Team Finland Makes Goaltending Decision Ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off Game

The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is underway in Montreal, and a key member of the Canucks is a member of Team Finland. That’s goalie Kevin Lankinen. Today, Finland decided that their starting goaltender for tonight’s game against the United States would not be Lankinen. Despite a strong start to the season with the Canucks, Lankinen has been passed over as Team Finland’s starter for this game. Instead, head coach Antti Pennanen chose Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators to man the crease.

Who can argue with Pennanen’s call? Team Finland is fortunate to have talented goalies on its roster, but Saros’ experience earned him the starting role for tonight’s game. “He’s a really good goalie,” Pennanen said. “We have three really good goalies, and it wasn’t an easy call, but tomorrow we go with Juuse.” Despite the team’s struggles, Saros has had a solid season for Nashville, recording four shutouts among his 11 wins.

For Lankinen, who’s been almost beyond impressive with the Canucks this season, the decision to start Saros is likely disappointing. However, it’s not out of the question that Lankinen will see time in the net during Saturday’s Nordic battle against Sweden. He brings international experience as part of his resume. He led Team Finland to gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. In that competition, he put up a stellar 1.50 GAA, a .942 save percentage, and two shutouts.

Canucks Eyeing Kyle Palmieri as Trade Deadline Approaches

With the NHL trade deadline just 23 days away, the Canucks are continuing their search for help down the middle. A new name for general manager Patrik Allvin emerged on the radar recently. The Canucks have been linked to New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who is in the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Kyle Palmieri has also been rumored as a potential Maple Leafs trade target.

There’s a good chance that Palmieri could be traded if the Islanders find themselves out of a playoff spot before the trade deadline. The Isles would be looking for draft choices and young players. Trading Palmieri could help them achieve that. Palmieri, now 34, has a 16-team no-trade list. He has a modest say in where he lands if he’s traded. Rumors are that the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings are also linked to the veteran forward. Ironically, these are two teams the Canucks are chasing in the Western Conference standings.

Vancouver GM Allvin seems to have focused on building a stronger roster. He sees a player like Palmieri potentially strengthening the team’s forward group.