12 things September should reveal about the Vancouver Canucks

While the Vancouver Canucks don’t play a regular season game until October 9th and thus can’t be truly judged until their 2025-26 schedule commences, we should still learn plenty about the hockey club over the next 30 days. The month of September will include a couple of prospect battles in Seattle, training camp, four preseason games and the annual state of the hockey club media address from President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford. Here are 20 things that should be clearer by the end of the month.

Thatcher Demko’s health and readiness

We should have a better sense of Thatcher Demko’s health and readiness to be the team’s presumptive starter. Aside from a few Instagram posts and one radio interview, things have been relatively quiet from the 29-year-old San Diego native this summer. But anecdotally, all indications are Demko has been able to put in a full summer of healthy training which is a far cry from what the puck stopper went through 12 months when he was still battling through a significant knee injury. 

Is EP40 ready to put last season’s struggles behind him?

We’ll all get a look for ourselves at the off-season work Elias Pettersson has put in to be ready to hit the ground running. It was evident at last year’s training camp that the Canucks weren’t seeing the best version of Pettersson and that carried over into a disappointing season. Like the team itself, Pettersson can’t be fully judged until he starts playing for keeps, but training camp and however many preseason games he suits up for should provide a better sense of where the team’s top centre is. At the very least, the Canucks need to see a few flashes from EP40 this month to alleviate concerns about the state of his game.

A glimpse at potential line combinations

September should offer some clues about what new head coach Adam Foote is thinking about line combinations for his hockey club. While nothing will be set in stone at camp and in the preseason, it seems that limiting experimentation and trying to forge chemistry as quickly as possible would serve a rookie head coach and a team that needs a quick start.

Who’s on the team’s top power play?

Speaking of clues, we should get a better sense of what Foote is thinking about his power play units. Last year, Rick Tocchet didn’t devote much time to special teams at training camp. It will be interesting to see if that changes with Foote at the helm. 

Any surprises on penalty kill?

The same holds for penalty killers. While several veterans will surely be used while the team is shorthanded, we may get a better sense of what the coaching staff is thinking about the pecking order on the penalty kill and whether there are any surprises additions to the group. We may also be able to get a better sense of what the team is thinking about a veteran like Derek Forbort as an every day player if he is among the team’s top PK defenders. 

Kravtsov ready for his NHL return?

Will Vitali Kravtsov look more engaged than he did the last time we saw him in a Canucks uniform? If he can bring his KHL production from the past two seasons with him, there is a very real opportunity for the 25-year-old to push for NHL employment. But he needs to dig in and earn his spot. Nothing will be given to him. And Kravtsov needs to look like a much different player than the one that was nearly invisible in 16 games here late in 2022-23.

Where does Jiri Patera fit into organizational plans?

This month may give us a better sense about where Jiri Patera sits on the organization’s goaltending hierarchy. You remember Patera, of course? The 26-year-old was signed to a two-year contract last summer but appeared in just seven games for Abbotsford last season due to a serious early season injury. Despite being the forgotten guy, Patera still has more NHL games on his resume (8) than any other goalies in the system not named Thatcher Demko or Kevin Lankinen. How will the team use him at training camp? How will the team handle him in the preseason? We should get a better sense of those things as September unfolds.

Bigger, better Lekkerimäki

Was Jonathan Lekkerimäki able to bulk up in a short offseason? It was clear the team’s top forward prospect needs to add some muscle as he continues to develop. Overall, his first season in North America was a huge success with 19 goals in 36 regular season AHL games, 24 NHL appearances and a Calder Cup championship. Lekkerimäki should now have a pretty solid baseline for what it takes to compete and thrive in both the AHL and NHL. 

Has Räty picked up the pace?

Was Aatu Räty able to work on his foot speed in a short offseason? Räty was limited to just six AHL playoff games due to a pair of lower body injuries. The organizational hope was that those would not pose any risk to his ability to train fully over the summer. But summer was considerably shorter than most since the Abbotsford Canucks played into the final week of June. Räty was one of the stars of last year’s training camp and preseason and earned a spot in the Vancouver Canucks opening night line-up last season. So he knows the drill. He’ll definitely be one to watch here in the weeks ahead.

Plans for top prospects

We should get a better idea of what the organization is thinking about many of its Abbotsford prospects based on how they’re slotted at training camp. If Räty, Linus Karlsson, Arshdeep Bains or Max Sasson are placed on lines with NHL veterans at training camp, you can probably read into that. The flip side is if those players find themselves with other AHL players at camp and in the preseason, there is likely a message in that. September should present how the coaching staff and management feel about some of its top prospects and where they fit in the team’s grand plans.

Willander ready for prime time

We will all find out if Tom Willander looks close to being NHL-ready this month. After two successful seasons at Boston University and a protracted contract negotiation, the team’s 2023 first rounder signed with the Canucks last spring and will embark on his professional hockey journey. Willander is a bit of a wildcard in the mix in terms of his readiness to make the jump to the NHL right away. But he’ll be watched closely by fans and media alike and we’ll all get a better sense of where he stands as he attends his first professional training camp.

How does team handle Braeden Cootes?

And September should give us a better sense of whether Braeden Cootes has a legitimate shot at starting the season on the big league roster and getting into a handful of NHL games before being sent back to WHL Seattle. It’s a longshot, but given the question marks at centre, if Cootes shows well in prospect games, is placed in positions to succeed at camp and given an opportunity to play NHL preseason games, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he sticks around to start the season. At the very least, his usage is something to monitor this month.