The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to rebound from their disappointing setback against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday evening when they pay a visit to Rogers Arena to take on the struggling Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks, who were the worst club in the Western Conference last season, are off to another slow start this season, currently finding themselves at the bottom of the standings once again.
It will also be the return of former Canucks forward Teddy Blueger to Vancouver for the first time since he departed town and signed a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Teddy Blueger Speaks About Time With Cancuks Ahead Of Return To Rogers Arena
Blueger will face the Canucks for the first time since agreeing to join the Maple Leafs during the offseason with a two-year contract. Is he expecting any kind of fanfare? As he put it, not especially.
“Probably nothing really,” he said via Adam Kierszenblat. “I mean, I’m not Quinn Hughes coming back here, so I’m not really expecting a whole lot of fanfare, good or bad. I mean, I wasn’t here that long. Three years isn’t really a long time in the grand scheme of things. So I’m just expecting, you know, pretty much a normal game, just to go out there and play, and nothing really that crazy.”
So far in the 15 games that Blueger has played with the Maple Leafs this season, he’s scored once while adding an assist. He’s also averaged 12:56 of ice time per game, while having taken one minor penalty.
Teddy Blueger Signed With The Maple Leafs Over The Summer
Blueger was originally taken 52nd overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and signed with the club in 2016. He spent several seasons developing in the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut in January 2019 and scoring his first NHL goal just days later. Blueger later signed a two-year, $4.4 million extension.
The Penguins traded Blueger to the Vegas Golden Knights in March 2023. He helped Vegas win its first Stanley Cup later that spring, recording a goal during the Western Conference Final. Blueger then signed with the Canucks, where he reached 100 career NHL points and eventually agreed to another two-year contract.
On the opening day of free agency this summer, he signed a two-year, $5 million deal with the Leafs.
Leafs’ Teddy Blueger Reveals His True Feelings About Canucks