Aatu Räty, once a top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is set to play the rest of his 2024-25 season in the American Hockey League. The Vancouver Canucks have decided to send him down to their AHL team, the Abbotsford Canucks.
Räty had a decent preseason, managing one goal and two points over three games. Despite this, he unexpectedly made it onto the Canucks’ opening night roster while Dakota Joshua was still healing from surgery. Yet again, Räty’s start with Vancouver mirrored his brief stint two years ago; he notched just one assist in three games. This time around, however, he had more ice time at 9:41 on average and showed stronger puck control numbers .
Fans might wonder why Räty isn’t staying with the main team if he’s doing well. But for now, he’ll be back in Abbotsford where he spent last season playing all 72 games and scoring an impressive 18 goals and 52 points. Meanwhile, Vancouver plans to use Nils Åman and Arshdeep Bains as replacements for Räty’s spot on the roster. So far this year they haven’t scored any points together but did manage seven points combined last season during limited playtime.
Future Prospects:
Some fans think Räty deserves another shot soon if he keeps performing well in Abbotsford! His journey from Finland to North America has been quite a ride since joining near the end of the 2021-22 season.
What do you think about these changes? Should Räty stay or go back up?
