The Vancouver Canucks made another roster move Thursday morning, placing forward Matthew Stienburg on NHL waivers ahead of their first home preseason game.
Stienburg, 25, signed a one-year, $850,000 two-way deal on July 2. He was originally a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, going 63rd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.
In his draft year at St. Andrew’s College, the Halifax native piled up 31 goals and 66 points in 48 games while serving as captain.
From there, the 6-foot-1 winger moved on to Cornell University, where he spent three seasons and posted 18 goals and 47 points in 73 games. He turned pro after the 2022-23 season and appeared in four games for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, collecting one assist and then another helper in four playoff games.
Stienburg reached the NHL with Colorado in 2024-25 after a 54-game rookie season in the American League, but the last two full seasons have been derailed by injuries. He has played only 21 games combined between the NHL and AHL over that stretch.
At Canucks camp in Penticton, he described how the setbacks piled up.
“Two years ago things were going well, and then an unfortunate injury kept me out for five or six months,” Stienburg explained after the opening day of camp in Penticton. “Then I got back last year after a good summer, and a separate new injury came up there in a game.
And by the time we really figured out the best plan of attack, it took me to the summer again. So it was a matter of two separate injuries that required a long time to return.”
The Canucks also got some housekeeping done from Wednesday’s waiver placements. Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cole Clayton, and Jimmy Schuldt all cleared and will report to AHL Abbotsford.
In Other News...
Former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko Facing A Heartbreaking Family Tragedy
A deeply painful off-ice tragedy has struck former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko, whose father, Alexander Kuzmenko, died in a bear attack in Russia. The loss comes as Andrei Kuzmenko has only recently started his NHL career with Vancouver after a successful season in the KHL, a transition that had already placed him under a brighter spotlight on the ice.
The news has drawn condolences from around the league, including a statement from the Pittsburgh Penguins offering support to Kuzmenko and his family. For the Canucks, it is a reminder that the human side of the game can suddenly dwarf everything else, leaving teammates, staff and fans watching closely as Kuzmenko deals with a devastating personal blow. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Suddenly Have A Filip Chytil Concern They Feared
Filip Chytils night ended early in the Canucks preseason meeting with the Oilers after he tripped over a referees skates and went into the end boards head first. Vancouver ruled him out for the rest of the game, but left the extent of the injury undisclosed, adding an immediate layer of concern around a player the club was already expected to monitor carefully.
Chytils health has been a lingering storyline because of his injury and concussion history, and this latest scare lands as he enters the final season of his contract with Vancouver. For a team looking to get through the preseason with its depth intact, any early setback involving Chytil is going to draw attention, even before the full picture of what happened becomes clear. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Bubble Players Get A Real Opening Night Chance Tonight
The Canucks get their first home preseason test tonight at Rogers Arena, where they host the Edmonton Oilers in a 6 p.m. PT opener that will also give fans a first real look at a lineup close to what Vancouver expects to ice when the regular season begins. It is the kind of night where the roster feels a little more serious than the average exhibition, especially with younger and borderline players trying to show they belong.
Braeden Cootes and Brendan Gallagher are among the names worth watching as the Canucks sort through the bubble and begin sharpening the group for opening night. The game will be carried on Sportsnet One, and the building should have extra energy with a three-day fan fest running alongside the preseason action, giving Vancouver a little more of a season-launch feel than the calendar would normally suggest. [Read more 🡒]