One of the upsides – and I admit it’s a minor one given the devastation that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked on North America and the rest of the world – is that if the 2019-20 NHL season resumes, the time off has allowed several injured players from all teams to heal and return ready to get back into the action.
The Vancouver Cahucks are one of those teams. The Canucks are in the middle of the playoff run and they have three players who were injured but are now ready or close to being ready to return. Those players are defenseman Chris Tanev, forward Josh Leivo, and forward Micheal Ferland.
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Chris Tanev’s Lower Body Injury Is Now Healed
Should the season resume, Chris Tanev has been cleared to take his place on the Canucks’ blueline. Tanev, who was suffering from what was described as a lower-body injury, was given the go-ahead to resume playing. At least that’s the news that general manager Jim Benning has shared with media.
Tanev had a solid 2019-20, and was able to score 20 points mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season. He’s a strong presence on the backend and will offer the team muscle and determination. He just doesn’t quit.
Josh Leivo: Continuing Rehab on His Knee Injury
Josh Leivo, who’s been out most of the season with a kneecap injury, has been working on his recovery and rehab. He’s close but hasn’t been cleared for game action yet, Benning reported. However, his 2019-20 prognosis is looking up, given what was understood just months ago.
Leivo had originally been ruled out for the rest of the 2019-20 season after suffering the injury. However, when the NHL went on suspension, it became clear there was a chance he could be cleared to play. And that day is getting closer.
Leivo hasn’t played much this season – only 36 games. However, he still only needed a single point to reach 20 points for the second time in his career.
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Micheal Ferland Is Ready to Return
That Micheal Ferland was not able to play much this season was one of the downsides of the Cancucks plans for the season. His concussion kept him on the bench or ineffective for most of the season – even when he did play. However, he’s been training and he’ll be ready to play if the season resumes during the summer.
As Benning said, “He’d be at 100 percent and be able to come back and play.”
Like Leivo, Ferland was expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season with his concussion symptoms, but when the NHL was suspended he had time to heal, and now he’s ready to return to the ice. He’s only played in two games since October and won’t score 40 points this season for the first time since 2016-17 when he played with the Calgary Flames.
Should Ferland be able to avoid injuries – and that’s tough because of the physical game he plays – he would be able to chip in between 40-45 points next season with the team the Canucks are growing into. He would be a great addition to the team.
