The Vancouver Canucks knew that there was a good chance Aatu Räty could get claimed when they placed him on waivers on Wednesday.
In a way, they were counting on it, as Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson felt that Räty deserved a chance to play somewhere else. Johnson confirmed to Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston that they tried to trade Räty first, but couldn’t find the right deal.
“Had to make a hard decision,” said Johnson. “Great kid that if he was gonna sparingly play here, feel like I owe him a new opportunity.”
Surprisingly, the Finnish faceoff ace cleared waivers, as every other team in the NHL took a pass on acquiring Räty for free.
That doesn’t mean Räty will be staying in the Canucks organization. Now that he’s cleared waivers, Räty could still be traded if the Canucks are intent on giving him a chance with another team.
Räty could be more desirable after clearing waivers, as a team acquiring him could immediately send the centre to their AHL affiliate without worrying about another team claiming him.
In the meantime, Räty will presumably be reassigned to the Abbotsford Canucks.
With Filip Chytil returning from injury, the Canucks needed to make a roster move. They could have sent down a waiver-exempt player like Victor Mancini, ensuring they wouldn’t lose any players.
Instead, they sent down Räty.
Räty was one of three pieces brought back from the New York Islanders in the Bo Horvat trade. The first-overall pick from that trade was flipped to the Detroit Red Wings for Filip Hronek, while Anthony Beauvillier was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick.
While Räty has been a major offensive threat in the AHL, putting up 40 points in 43 games for the Abbotsford Canucks in the 2024-25 season, he has yet to fully translate that offence to the NHL, partly due to a lack of foot speed.
So far, Räty has 12 goals and 27 points in 106 games with the Canucks.
Given his skill in the faceoff circle, with a career 59.1 per cent success rate, Räty seems like an ideal candidate for a bottom-six defensive role in the NHL. Unfortunately, his defensive reads have made it hard for coaches to trust him in defensive situations, particularly against tougher opponents.
Räty has been used almost exclusively as a faceoff specialist, sent out to win key faceoffs, then immediately bolt to the bench to be replaced by a more reliable forward. The trouble has been on the occasions when he has lost a key defensive zone draw and needed to defend.
It’s a red flag that multiple Canucks coaches have felt they couldn’t trust Räty with a regular shift. That flag is a deeper shade of red when one of those coaches, Manny Malhotra, had him in Abbotsford for a significant period of time.
There’s still a chance that Räty puts his game together and finds success in the NHL. It’s just unclear when his next opportunity in the NHL will come, and whether it will be with the Canucks.