Canucks activate defenseman following Di Giuseppe injury

he Canucks activated shutdown defenseman Carson Soucy from long-term injured reserve Saturday, with Soucy taking winger Phillip Di Giuseppe’s spot on the active roster. Di Giuseppe has been added to LTIR with an undisclosed injury sustained last Tuesday against the Senators, which caused him to miss Thursday’s showing against the Blues. Thus, his LTIR placement is likely retroactive to January 3.

After signing a three-year, $9.75M pact to join the Canucks last offseason, his first few months in British Columbia have been marred by injuries that have limited him to 13 out of 38 games. When in the lineup, however, he’s been effective at first glance, logging two goals, three assists, five points and a +6 rating in 16:52 of ice time per game. That’s a bit more offense than most expected from Soucy, who scored just three times in 78 games with the Kraken last season.

More advanced metrics tell a different story, though. His possession impacts have been mediocre, posting a 46.3% Corsi share at even strength that ranks 16th among Canucks skaters with at least ten games played. He’s been most commonly paired with Tyler Myers, which has by far been the Canucks most disastrous two-way duo with just 41% of expected goals when they’re on the ice together, per MoneyPuck. Myers has fared marginally better when paired with Ian Cole or Nikita Zadorov.

While those numbers aren’t pretty, judging a player acclimating to a new system while fighting long-term injuries is hard. Soucy returns tonight from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since November 12, causing him to miss 23 games.

It’s also a tough break for Di Giuseppe, who will now be out at a minimum through the end of the month. The 30-year-old veteran of over 250 NHL games spent most of his last two seasons with the Canucks in the minors with AHL Abbotsford but made Vancouver out of camp this season, playing in all but six games. A high-scoring threat at the AHL level, Di Giuseppe started in a top-nine role but has seen his minutes diminish in recent weeks, culminating in a few healthy scratches before sustaining the injury. He has three goals and five assists for eight points this season, averaging 13:03 per game.