The week after the All-Star break, the Vancouver Canucks had three players return from injury.
With Chris Tanev, Jannik Hansen and Ben Hutton entering the lineup, someone had to come out. And so, Brendan Gaunce — their only AHL-eligible forward — was unceremoniously shipped off to the Utica Comets.
He played well in four games with the Comets, scoring twice and adding an assist.
But then Bo Horvat was injured, and Gaunce’s stay in Utica was cut short. And so, Brendan Gaunce goes from the AHL to tonight’s Canucks Player of the Game:
It may be easy to look at Gaunce’s five measly assists for the season and declare that he is not a great player.