As the Vancouver Canucks wrap up their 2024-25 regular season, a lot of the conversations surrounding the team will shift to the 2025-26 roster. Whether it is through trade or players leaving in free agency, there will be holes in the lineup that need to be filled before October. One player fighting for a spot is Aatu Räty, who is showing that he is ready to make the jump to the NHL full-time.
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This season, Räty has split his time between Vancouver and the Abbotsford Canucks. He has 39 points in 41 AHL games, compared to eight in 28 games at the NHL level. Overall, it has been a successful campaign for the 22-year-old, who is completing his third pro season in North America.
The reason Räty deserves a spot in next season's lineup is the way he has played since being called up. Over the past seven games, Räty has four goals and has won 63% of his 81 faceoffs. He also continues to win his matchups at five-on-five on a nightly basis and is starting to develop some chemistry with Dakota Joshua and Kiefer Sherwood.
Since March 24, Räty has had some of the best offensive analytics at five-on-five. He ranks first in individual high-danger chances created with 10, while his four points sit one back of the team lead. Räty also leads the team in on-ice high-danger scoring chances for per 60 with 16.4 and sits third in on-ice scoring chances for per 60 at 32.8.
What makes Räty's analytics stand out is that he is having success despite playing in the bottom-six. Over the last seven games, he is averaging 12:01 minutes of five-on-five ice time, which ranks ninth among forwards. While Räty may not be ready for a top-six role yet, he is showing that he can be a constant contributor who can play over 12 minutes at five-on-five per game.
As mentioned, Räty has also been fantastic in the faceoff dot since his recall. He has won 69.7% of his 33 defensive zone draws as well as 59.1% of the 22 offensive zone faceoffs he has taken. For a team like the Canucks that sit 23rd overall in faceoff percentage this season, having a player like Räty that can dominate in the faceoff dot is an asset that could come in handy during the 2025-26 season.
All Abbotsford Canucks Who Have Played For Vancouver During The 2024–25 Season
Coming out of the 4 Nations Faceoff break, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks">Vancouver Canucks</a> were tasked with keeping their spot in the playoffs as the team holding the second wild card spot. However, since then, a 10-straight win performance by the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/">St. Louis Blues</a> has helped knock them out of postseason contention this year. St. Louis is not the only team to have won 10 straight in the closing games of the season — down in the Fraser Valley, Manny Malhotra and the Abbotsford Canucks have also gone on a heater, winning all of their games since March 7. Last night, they <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/abbotsford-canucks-clinch-playoff-spot-extend-win-streak-to-11-games-in-a-63-win-against-san-diego">clinched</a> a playoff spot in a 6–3 win against the San Diego Gulls. Let’s take a look at the 11 players who have shared time between Vancouver and Abbotsford this season.
While Räty will still need to earn his spot during next year's training camp and pre-season, Vancouver should feel confident slotting him into a bottom-six role for 2025-26. The pending restricted free agent has put in a ton of work this season and has developed into a player who looks ready to make the jump to the NHL full-time. If Räty has a strong summer and can continue to develop his skating and overall play, he deserves a chance to show what he can do as the Canucks full-time third or fourth line center next season.
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