The wait is almost over for Carson Soucy.

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman has been sidelined since Nov. 12 after suffering a left ankle injury in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The 29-year-old native of Viking, Alberta was just starting to settle into his role with his new team, having played 13 games with the Canucks after being lured away as a free agent from the Seattle Kraken this past off-season.

Soucy hasnsa国际传媒檛 played in nearly two months but there is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to getting back on the ice.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has mentioned on several occasions over the last week that Soucy is sa国际传媒渃losesa国际传媒� to returning to the lineup.

How close?

Soucy did not dress in the 2-1 loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday night but is travelling with the team on its current road trip.

The mini-camp that the Canucks had over the holidays with several practices allowed Soucy to test the ankle and the results were encouraging.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e been able to put it through almost every position it should go through in a game and itsa国际传媒檚 held up good so far,sa国际传媒� Soucy explained after a recent practice at Rogers Arena.

Rehabbing from an injury is grueling enough physically but it can also be draining mentally. You show up before the regulars to get treatment, go through a workout and rehab program while the team is on the ice practicing, and then get more treatment afterwards while everyone is walking out the door. And thatsa国际传媒檚 when the team is at home. When the hockey club is away, you feel even more isolated.

sa国际传媒淚t gets long. Especially coming in when the guys are on the road but we have a good staff here. Itsa国际传媒檚 nice that they have a couple of guys here with me (when the team is away) otherwise it would get really long but itsa国际传媒檚 nice to be almost at the finish line,sa国际传媒� noted Soucy.

One of the biggest challenges Soucy will face when he returns will be getting up to game speed.

Practice drills and five-on-five sessions can do a lot in terms of preparation but absolutely nothing duplicates the speed and intensity of a game.

sa国际传媒淚 think the timing will hopefully come back pretty quick. Itsa国际传媒檚 tough when you have an injury for that long but I think we were getting pretty comfortable with the system back when I was playing. Hopefully Isa国际传媒檒l be able to just step back in with the timing feeling good,sa国际传媒� said Soucy.

As far as conditioning is concerned after a seven-week absence, Soucy isnsa国际传媒檛 too worried about that.

sa国际传媒淐onditioning is always fine. I think itsa国际传媒檚 just a confidence thing right now with the ankle and how itsa国际传媒檚 going to hold up,sa国际传媒� he said.

When Soucy does eventually return to the lineup, Tocchet and his staff will have some decisions to make. The obvious choice would be to replace Noah Juulsen with Soucy but Juulsensa国际传媒檚 game has shown some growth during Soucysa国际传媒檚 absence. And with Nikita Zadorovsa国际传媒檚 arrival, that means the club would be four-deep on the left side with Quinn Hughes, Ian Cole, Zadorov and Soucy sa国际传媒� meaning either Zadorov or Cole would have to move over to the right side. A more radical move suggested by some is to take Zadorov out of the lineup but the odds of that happening are pretty slim.

The bottom line is that Soucy is looking forward to getting back on the ice and being a contributor rather than an observer.

sa国际传媒淚t doesnsa国际传媒檛 feel like yousa国际传媒檙e a help or a benefit at all when the team is doing really good and yousa国际传媒檙e missing seven weeks. Theresa国际传媒檚 also a confidence in this group that we are a solid team and that I can help when I do come back,sa国际传媒� Soucy explained.

OVERTIME

* Conor Garland opened the scoring for the Canucks in the first period against the Blues, who responded with a second period goal from Colton Parayko and a third period tally from Robert Thomas to secure the win.

* The outcome of the game against the Blues could have been different if the Canucks could have cashed in on some sa国际传媒楪rade Asa国际传媒� chances including one fabulous opportunity that Brock Boeser had in the third period. sa国际传媒淲e missed some glorious chances in the third - we missed four or five nets. We got to hit the net on those shots,sa国际传媒� Tocchet said post-game.

* Andrei Kuzmenko was a scratch for the sixth time this year with all the them occurring on the road. Logic would suggest that Tocchet doesnsa国际传媒檛 trust Kuzmenko defensively without at least having the luxury of the last-line change.

* The Canucks next game is Saturday in New Jersey against the Devils. The Canucks are winless in their last eight trips to New Jersey with their last victory there occurring on Oct. 24, 2013 when they won 4-3 in a shootout. Mike Santorelli scored during the shootout to give the Canucks the win. Santorelli, currently coaching U18 at the Burnaby Winter Club, was recently named to the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

* Despite the Canucks strong start to the season and residing near or at the top of the Western Conference standings, the Vegas oddsmakers arensa国际传媒檛 buying into the Canucks as Vancouver is listed at 20 to 1 to win the Stanley Cup. Boston and Colorado are the favorites at 7 陆 to 1.

* Soucy is the 10th individual from Viking, Alberta to play in the NHL. The nine others? Theysa国际传媒檙e all part of the Sutter clan.

Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob sa国际传媒渢he Mojsa国际传媒� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.

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