Leevi Meriläinen Could Be the Canucks' Most Important Find

Every once in a while, an NHL team gets a little lucky. Not lottery luck, not a first-round draft pick turning into a superstar, but the kind of opportunity that comes along when another organization decides it has a player it can afford to lose. That's how the Vancouver Canucks acquired Leevi Meriläinen.

The Canucks claimed the young Finnish goaltender off waivers from Ottawa, and I wonder whether this move could become far more important than it looked at the time. Vancouver didn't have to surrender a draft pick or trade away a promising prospect. It simply had to recognize an opportunity and be willing to take a chance.

Leevi Meriläinen Had Something to Prove, and the Canucks Had an Opportunity.

Meriläinen is 24, which is still young for a goaltender. He's also relatively inexperienced, with just 34 NHL appearances before joining Vancouver. That makes him an interesting project. He's not an established NHL starter, but he's not an unknown prospect, either.

There are reasons to be intrigued. He posted a .925 save percentage in 12 NHL games during the 2024-25 season, showing that he can handle the level. Last season in Ottawa was much tougher, and his numbers fell off. But that's part of what makes this opportunity interesting. The Canucks weren't acquiring a finished product. They were acquiring a young goalie who might still have another level to reach.

His early work in Vancouver has given fans something to watch. Against San Jose, he made 21 saves and made several important stops that helped the Canucks maintain their lead through much of the game. The eventual loss shouldn't erase the value of that performance.

The Canucks Might Have Found a Reliable Goalie Without Giving Up Anything.

I also like the situation he's walking into. He has Kevin Lankinen to work alongside, Marko Torenius as his goaltending coach, and a chance to establish himself in a new organization. Sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a young player needs.

Of course, we shouldn't turn one waiver claim into a goaltending success story just yet. Meriläinen still has to demonstrate that he can handle the workload and produce consistently.

But think about the potential return. If Vancouver has found a reliable NHL goaltender, or even someone who can develop into a legitimate starter, without giving up an asset to acquire him, that's excellent work.

The Canucks need to find value wherever they can. This might be one of those occasions when the opportunity was sitting right there, waiting for someone to take it.