During Friday's year-end media availability, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Noah Juulsen had the opportunity to speak for the first time since being injured. The 28-year-old last played on February 2 and is recovering from sports hernia surgery. Juulsen, who is from Surrey, BC, also had the opportunity to address his future with the team, as he will enter the 2025 off-season as an unrestricted free agent.
Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:
Canucks Conor Garland Heading To 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships
This season, Juulsen played 35 games for Vancouver, recording 101 hits and 60 blocked shots. He often played on the third pair and was also consistently on the penalty kill when he was in the lineup. As mentioned, though, his season did come to an end early as he needed the lower-body procedure.
"Yeah, it sucked, said Juulsen. "Obviously, you never want to have surgery, not during the season. But I think obviously, it's good that I kind of dealt with. Hopefully, get healthy and be healthy going into next season."
Canucks Noah Juulsen Out Long-Term After Lower Body Procedure
On Friday, the Vancouver Canucks announced that defenseman Noah Juulsen will be out of the lineup for approximately 12 weeks. According to the post, Juulsen had a successful lower-body procedure, with his recovery expected to last until the middle of May. While the Canucks were not specific as to what part of the lower body the procedure was for, Rick Dhaliwal of "Donnie and Dhali" <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/report-canucks-noah-juulsen-potentially-out-for-the-season">reported earlier this week</a> that Juulsen was dealing with a sports hernia issue.
During his media availability, Juulsen also revealed that this injury had been bothering him all season. Based on the timeline, it got to the point in February where the team felt it was time to shut him down and start the rehab process. While Juulsen is still not completely done with his rehab, he is confident that it will not cause him issues throughout the summer.
"I've played through it from basically mid-October on until that point. So, it was something we knew about. Then, it just got to a point where it needed to be dealt with. So we did deal with it, obviously. It's not going to hold me back. I'm seven weeks in now to the rehab part of it and I probably got three more to go until I am full go."
Juulsen was also asked about his contract, which, as mentioned, expires this offseason. The right-shot defenceman has been with the Canucks for the last four seasons, skating in 109 regular season games since arriving in 2021. According to Juulsen, he hopes that he can return to the organization for the 2025-26 season.
"Yeah, I really would like to be back. I think the last two years here in Van have been great for me as a player. We're trying to build a group here that we can have for a while. I'd love to be back."
Overall, it has been a challenging season for Juulsen. After a slow start, he was starting to build momentum before eventually being shut down for the season. Based on his play style and familiarity with the team, it would not be surprising to see him back in Vancouver next season.
Make sure you bookmark THN’s Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
