Just a short while ago, the Canucks announced they were shutting down Anton Rodin -- the Swedish Hockey League’s reigning MVP -- with a troublesome knee injury that isn’t getting better.
Now, more bad news.
Sophomore defenseman Ben Hutton, just weeks removed from signing a two-year contract extension, has suffered a fractured hand and will miss the next 3-6 weeks of action.
Hutton hasn’t dressed since Jan. 6, when he played nearly 22 minutes in a win over Calgary. He sat out the next night’s game -- and did so on late notice, forcing the Canucks to play with just five d-men -- and now joins fellow blueliners Erik Gudbranson and Philip Larsen on the shelf.
The University of Maine product is a big piece of Vancouver’s defense. Prior to getting hurt, he had four goals and seven assists in 41 games while averaging 20:59 of ice time.
The 23-year-old burst onto the scene last year, and surprised many last year after making the team out of training camp and putting together an impressive campaign. A fifth-round pick in 2012, Hutton finished tied for second with Colton Parayko in rookie d-men in assists (24), trailing only Flyers standout Shayne Gostisbehere.
Hutton was then named to Team Canada’s gold-medal winning side at the 2016 World Hockey Championships.
Looking ahead, the Canucks project to ice a blueline featuring Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Luca Sbisa, Nikita Tryamkin, Troy Stecher and Alex Biega tonight when they host the Predators.