Canucks place Tyler Myers in COVID protocol, expected to convert Ashton Sautner to NHL deal

The Canucks have lost another defenseman as they announced that Tyler Myers has been placed in COVID protocol.  Taking his place on the roster will be Ashton Sautner as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports that Vancouver will be converting his AHL contract to an NHL one and will have him in the lineup against Toronto.

Myers becomes the fifth Vancouver rearguard in COVID protocol joining Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko, Brad Hunt and Tucker Poolman; winger Tyler Motte and assistant coach Jason King are also in there.  Myers has logged heavy minutes for the Canucks this season and especially as of late, as he played 29:26 in Tuesday’s game versus Columbus.  The 31-year-old is still looking for his first goal of the season while he has nine assists in 31 games.

As for Sautner, he’s no stranger to the Canucks organization having played in 23 games with them between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and has been with their farm team since then.  This season, he has played in 18 games with AHL Abbotsford, picking up an assist along with 10 penalty minutes.  The Canucks have only three blueliners on NHL contracts not currently up with the big club, including the currently injured Jack Rathbone which has resulted in them deciding to convert Sautner’s deal.  He’ll need to pass through waivers to get back to the minors, but that shouldn’t be an issue when the team is healthy enough to send him down.