Overview
- General manager Patrik Allvin reassigned Cootes to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and the club confirmed Sasson’s recall from AHL Abbotsford the next day.
- Cootes played three NHL games with no points, averaging 10:47 of ice time and posting weak possession numbers reported around the mid-30s in Corsi For percentage.
- Sending him down before the 10-game mark keeps this season from counting against his entry-level contract.
- Sasson, 25, scored twice in two AHL games and is expected to fill the fourth-line centre role as Teddy Blueger skates in a non-contact jersey and nears a return.
- Cootes will resume his season in Seattle and is viewed as a strong candidate for Canada’s World Juniors, while Vancouver weighs medium-term additions to bolster centre depth.