What the Vancouver Canucks are getting in Aatu Raty

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
What the Vancouver Canucks are getting in Aatu Raty
Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

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For fans that love big-time trades, you got it Monday night.

The New York Islanders made a major splash, acquiring the premier trade target, Bo Horvat, from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a top-12 protected first-rounder in 2023, Anthony Beauvillier and prospect Aatu Raty. For a full breakdown of the deal, here’s what Matt Larkin had to say.

The draft pick will be a VERY interesting piece of the deal – but that’s a topic for another day. There’s still so much we don’t know about how that’s going to play out for both sides.

But the most intriguing player component, to me, was Raty. It wasn’t that long ago that he was considered him a future star. And while the 20-year-old definitely fell out of favor for many, the ceiling is quite high.

And Canucks fans are going to love watching him play.

Dating back to around late 2018, Raty’s name emerged as the favorite to go No. 1 for 2021. It was a long way out, but he was putting up fantastic numbers against U-20 competition as a 16-year-old. He was excellent internationally and eventually made his pro debut two years ahead of getting drafted.

But then everything started to slip. After he made Finland’s World Junior Championship team as a double underager, Raty’s production started to fall way off and he was excluded from the 2021 roster. And with it came even more concern about his future, with stories coming out talking about how Raty lost the “joy” of playing the game that was on the verge of making him a star. And you could see it, too. He was always so passionate after scoring a big goal, which isn’t uncommon for a younger player. But Raty understood how hard it was to score against men, and when he did, he soaked in every second of it.

So when that all started to go south, Raty went from projected to going first overall to landing 52nd to the Islanders. He took the opportunity in stride, playing at just under a point-per-game pace in the Liiga with 41 points in 47 games – a massive step above his six-point pace in Karpat. The change of pace with Jukurit was immediate, and his confidence came back. He was suddenly playing the best hockey of his career. He followed it up with a strong playoff stint with AHL Bridgeport and a stellar 2022 World Junior Championship performance in his final go at it – and the passion was seemingly back.

Many scouts looked back and were thrilled with what they were seeing. They knew Raty had it in him, but Raty himself had to believe. When the numbers started growing, the smiles did, too.

And that’s what brought him over to North America for his first real kick at the can. So far this season, Raty has had his ups and downs with Bridgeport, putting up a solid seven goals and 15 points in 27 games. He also had a 12-game run with the Islanders, scoring twice – his NHL debut against Florida, and a few games later against Vancouver, of all teams. But he was there as an injury replacement and didn’t play a ton, averaging just 8:46 a night.

So you can’t blame him for the lack of scoring touch, but he at least had a decent impact with an average of 9.24 shots-per-60 at 5-on-5, which was good enough for third on the Islanders prior to the trade. And, again, he’s 20. Expectations are low to begin with, even with all the pro experience beforehand.

From a skill perspective, Raty has a lot to get excited about. He has excellent vision, which allows him to find scoring lanes through traffic and without taking his eyes off the puck much. Raty is an excellent puck controller and few AHLers have the release that he does. He’s got a good frame that allows him to hold his own offensively, but he puts the muscle into the shot and his awareness away from the puck is one of the things that really took off in his final year playing in Finland. When he’s really determined to score, Raty can wow you with some incredible, quick, deceptive moves. It’s something he’s put on display a few times this season.

“There’s still some raw elements to his game, but he has come a long way the past two years,” a scout said. “And his potential keeps rising.”

The biggest knock against his game, though, is his skating. It’s choppy, never hits a high top speed and his acceleration lacks, especially in short foot races. That’s something that proper coaching will help fix in the NHL. So the fact that he does enough of the offensive side things well, that’s manageable. And while his defensive play is a bit more consistent than it was a few years ago, he still gets beat a bit too often in his own zone in the AHL. But, again, that’s something good coaching can work with him on.

Raty isn’t going to make a difference this season, or even next season. And it might hurt watching Horvat continue to produce, and, if the Islanders can turn it around, even compete for a playoff spot. But the ceiling is high for Raty, and he’s still so young. If the Canucks are going all-in on a rebuild, Raty could end up being one of the central pieces down the road.

The goal right now will be finishing out the AHL season with Abbotsford and soaking in as much as he can. The Baby Canucks already have Nils Hoglander, Vasili Podkolzin and Danila Klimovich there – all key pieces of Vancouver’s future. This will be an excellent opportunity to play alongside some quality young prospects and a host of veterans, too. Abbotsford is a better team than Bridgeport, and he’ll be surrounded by quality talent. Raty has two seasons left after this one on an entry-level deal, so if they feel he’s ready, he could be a solid, inexpensive scoring option next year.

Raty isn’t going to be a superstar. Even if he lived up to early predictions, Raty was never going to be a major game-changer or play-driver. But he can be a considerable middle-six option, and that’s valuable, too. Plus, if the Islanders end up finding a bit of pace and don’t end up falling into the bottom 12 of the draft lottery, the Canucks will have another top 15 pick in 2023 at their disposal. It helps that it’s a strong draft, too.

So, be patient here, Canuck fans. It’s going to be a long journey. Your team just traded its captain during a career year. Perhaps it was for the best. And, maybe, the team didn’t get maximum value for him, either. There’s a very real possibility the team traded one of its most important players over the past decade for a couple of pieces that just fizzle out. We don’t really know right now.

But if there’s any reason to be excited right now, it’s the potential of Aatu Raty. He looks like he can be something noteworthy for the Canucks one day.

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