The Vancouver Canucks are getting a notable addition to their lineup for their contest against the Florida Panthers. Winger Ilya Mikheyev has been activated off of injured reserve and is expected to slot in on the club's second line with Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko against the Cats.

Mikheyev, of course, suffered a torn ACL in Feb. of last season and has not returned to game action since. Although he was expected to be ready for the start of the season, the 29-year-old needed a little bit longer before being fully healed. Now, he's back, and it is excellent news for the Canucks.

Mikheyev proved to be a strong addition to Vancouver's lineup last season. In 46 games, he posted 13 goals to go along with 28 points. Besides producing well offensively, he was also a notable part of their penalty kill.

The Canucks dropped their last two games, so they certainly need a boost right now. Let's see if Mikheyev's return gives them just that.

Moving on to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Canucks will be facing the veteran defenseman for the first time since his buyout this past offseason. Naturally, all eyes will be on him, as it is always fun to watch a player go up against their former team.

However, while speaking with Thomas Drance, OEL noted that he was blindsided about being bought out by the Canucks. He felt that he would stay put because of how his exit meetings went with the club, but Vancouver, of course, had different plans. Now, OEL will be looking to have a big game against his former club.

Ekman-Larsson has had a decent start to the new campaign, as he has one goal, one assist, and an even plus/minus rating in four games. Perhaps this change of scenery to Florida could help him get his career back on track, as things clearly did not work out in Vancouver.

As for Conor Garland, the 27-year-old winger has been heavily discussed in the rumor mill as of late. After being given permission to seek a trade by the Canucks, the Massachusetts native has been garnering attention from around the league.

Some teams who have been connected to Garland include the Columbus Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Nashville Predators have also shown interest, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported that former Canuck Luke Schenn's injury might change things on that front. Per Friedman, Dante Fabbro is the expected player who the Canucks would want back for Garland, and that is unlikely to happen with Schenn sidelined.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens with Garland from here. With that, Mikheyev and OEL are players to watch closely during the Canucks vs. Panthers game. Let's see if either player makes a big impact for their respective clubs.

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