Canucks recall Jonathan Lekkerimaki as Dakota Joshua placed on injured reserve

Credit: Dec 21, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Dakota Joshua (81) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks announced Monday that center Dakota Joshua has been placed on the injured reserve, retroactive to January 3. In a corresponding roster move, the club has also recalled right winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on an emergency basis.

Skating in his third season with the Canucks, Joshua has made 24 appearances in 2024-25 in which he has collected two goals and two assists for four points. The 28-year-old Dearborn, Mich., native finished last season with a career high of 32 points counting 18 goals and 14 assists coming in 63 contests before adding another eight points through 13 postseason appearances. Per PuckPedia, Joshua is in the first year of a four-year pact that carries a $3.25-million annual average value.

Originally chosen in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Joshua has played 208 NHL games counting stops with the Canucks and St. Louis Blues in which he has collected 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points.

For Lekkerimaki, the 20-year-old Swedish-born forward paces Abbotsford in scoring this season with a team-leading 17 points counting 12 goals and five assists coming in 21 games. Chosen 15th overall by Vancouver in the 2022 NHL Draft, Lekkerimaki made his NHL debut with the Canucks earlier this season, making five appearances before being returned to Abbotsford. That stretch included Lekkerimaki’s first-ever NHL goal, coming in an eventual 5-2 home ice loss to the New York Islanders in mid-November. Lekkerimaki also made his North American debut with Abbotsford a year ago, notching two points in six games.

On the season, the Canucks sit 18-12-8 with 44 points to hold down the second wildcard position in the Western Conference. Vancouver dropped its most recent appearance, getting shut out 3-0 to the Nashville Predators on home ice Friday, but will look to return to the win column Monday versus the Montreal Canadiens.