Vancouver Canucks head coach opens up on the true reason he benched Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images.
Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote revealed why he decided to bench former first round pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki during last night's game against Toronto.
The Vancouver Canucks were seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since mid-December as they welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to Rogers Arena for their lone visit of the 2025-26 season.
After making an impressive 32 saves against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, the Canucks turned to Nikita Tolopilo once again for their clash on Hockey Night in Canada and he did not disappoint, stopping 39 of 41 shots he faced, but unfortunately the Canucks fell in a shootout to the Maple Leafs, 3-2.
Vancouver put up a strong effort last night, with the team's future - Jonathan Lekkerimaki & Tom Willander - finding the back of the net, but unfortunately for the former, it looks like he made some questionable decisions that didn't sit well with his head coach.
Vancouver Canucks HC Adam Foote explains decision to bench Jonathan Lekkerimaki
With the game knotted up at 2-2 with a little over halfway remaining in the third period, head coach Adam Foote decided to bench Jonathan Lekkerimaki for the remainder of the game, despite him scoring one of the team's goals.
"didn't love the fact that Lekkerimaki had one shift in final 12 minutes of a 2-2 tie. Didn't get a sniff in OT either. Had one of the goals tonight. Represents idea of go-ahead goal. On a 32nd place team." Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army said.
While meeting with reporters after the loss, Foote was asked why he benched Lekkerimaki and he said it came down to what he was doing, or not doing, on the defensive side of the puck.
"It’s more on the defensive side. He’s getting there, for sure. The more he’s with us the more he’ll know certain things and the trust will be there. It’s just slight movements defensively. That’s just being young. He’s a smart guy. He’ll get there pretty quick." Foote said according to Canucks Army's Tyson Cole.
Lekkerimaki has a lot to learn at the NHL level and while everyone knows what he's capable of offensively, if he's able to fine tune his game defensively, he'll grow into a legit top-six forward for the Canucks very soon.
The Tullinge, Sweden native will have the opportunity to prove to Adam Foote that he made the wrong decision to bench him as the Canucks are back in action on Monday for a quick two-game trip before the Olympic break, with their first stop being in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth.
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Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily