NHL, players’ association announce Toronto and Edmonton as hub cities amid coronavirus “Sven informed us late yesterday that he has chosen to opt out of the NHL Return to Play Program,” said Benning.“It was a difficult decision, but ultimately one we respect and understand.”Kole Lind will fill Baertschi’s place on the roster.Baertschi, who has been under contract with the Canucks since 2014, only played six games with the team this season — spending most of his time with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Canucks recall Baertschi from Utica Baertschi had a career-high 18 goals and 17 assists in 2016-17 with Vancouver, then posted 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games the following season.But he was limited to 26 games in 2018-19.