The Vancouver Canucks appear to have had some bad injury luck just before the start of the regular season.
In the Canucks' final preseason contest on Friday against the Calgary Flames, Carson Soucy left the game with what appeared to be an injury to his left knee after getting tangled up with Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich.
While Soucy stayed on the ice for the remainder of the shift, he left down the tunnel to the dressing room after he reached the bench. The Canucks subsequently announced that Soucy would not return to the game.
While Soucy's removal from the game could be precautionary — there's no reason to risk further injury in a meaningless preseason game — there's no denying that the incident looked ugly, with Soucy's left leg trapped under Sharangovich, causing it to twist painfully.
Soucy was signed to a three-year contract in the offseason and is expected to play a major role in the Canucks' revamped defence corps, particularly on the penalty kill, which is a strength of his game.
If Soucy is out for any length of time to start the season, that will test the Canucks' defensive depth, especially after Guillaume Brisebois, who looked like he had made the opening night roster, was injured late in the Canucks' game against the Seattle Kraken on a hit by Brandon Tanev.
