Canucks injury nightmare continues, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki is the latest blow

Feb 21, 2026 (12:56)

Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Jonathan Lekkerimäki needs season-ending shoulder surgery, and the Vancouver Canucks’ bad luck just found a new low.

This year has felt cursed, and not in the fun, hockey-mystery way. It’s been relentless.

Lekkerimäki is only 21, but he’s already been yanked up and down, asked to produce, and now he’s headed to the operating room.

He was drafted in 2022, Round 1, 15th overall by Vancouver, and he’s supposed to be part of the next wave.

In Abbotsford this season, he’s popped with 13-7-20 in 21 AHL games.

Then this report lands, and the air comes right out of the room.

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Even zooming out, the Canucks can’t catch a break between the pipes.

Thatcher Demko is done for the season and getting hip surgery, per the team’s January 27 announcement.

That’s not just one missing starter, it’s a season-wide identity problem.

The skaters haven’t had stability either, because the injury list keeps chewing through real minutes.

Brock Boeser landing in concussion protocol was another brutal example.

You can feel the fanbase sagging, because every time there’s a flicker of hope, something else breaks.

And the standings don’t offer any comfort blanket.

Vancouver sits at 18-33-6, and the margin for any “good vibes” stretch is basically gone.

That’s why Lekkerimäki hurts, even if he wasn’t saving this season.

He was one of the few reasons to watch the pipeline with real excitement.

Now the focus shifts to rehab, timing, and whether his shoulder steals any of that heavy-shot confidence.

The next milestone isn’t a playoff chase, it’s getting through Wednesday’s game against Winnipeg with something left intact.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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FEVRIER 21\|134 ANSWERS Canucks injury nightmare continues, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki is the latest blow Do the Vancouver Canucks need a full reset after the Jonathan Lekkerimäki surgery news?
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