2026-2027 NHL team preview: Vancouver Canucks

LAST SEASON

Has a contender ever unraveled so spectacularly as the Vancouver Canucks did over the past two seasons? In 2024-25, the ‘Nucks followed up a 50-win season with a disjointed, injury-riddled effort that was derailed, first and foremost, by internal tensions between star centermen J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson; Vancouver would eventually choose sides by trading the sometimes brilliant but often volatile Miller to the New York Rangers. Though coach Rick Tocchet washed his hands of the situation and headed back to Philadelphia, the Canucks’ brass, led by president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, still hoped there was enough juice left in the homegrown core that was so successful in 2023-24 to convince superstar captain Quinn Hughes to commit to their project long term.

They could not have failed more comprehensively. Tocchet’s replacement, Adam Foote, promoted from an assistant role largely thanks to his relationship with former Norris winner Hughes, was plainly unprepared to serve as an NHL head coach. Star goaltender Thatcher Demko and middle-six pivot Filip Chytil found themselves in a frustratingly familiar position on the IR by mid-November. Pettersson’s early-season signs of life (22 P in first 28 GP) flatlined (26 in final 49) after an early-December injury. Satisfied their league-worst 11-17-3 record was not good enough to keep Hughes in British Columbia beyond 2027, Rutherford and Allvin ripped off the Band-Aid and made their superstar available.

On Dec. 12, they traded Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, and a Vancouver team that hadn’t shown many signs of life with a top-10 NHL player in the fold did about what you’d expect after losing one. After briefly mustering some pride to tear off a 5-2-0 run after the trade, the Canucks won just three of their next 25 (!). The fire sale saw tireless forechecker Kiefer Sherwood depart in January and team leaders Conor Garland and Tyler Myers end their Vancouver tenures in March. The undermanned Canucks slunk to a 58-point finish, comfortably the NHL’s low-water mark (14 points fewer than 31st-placed CHI).

Rutherford, who had already fired Allvin, announced his imminent semi-retirement only moments after the draft lottery (the Canucks, naturally, lost – twice), officially closing the book on a chapter of Vancouver hockey that, like so much of the club’s history, saw on-ice promise undone by off-ice self-destruction. Incoming GM Ryan Johnson and coach Manny Malhotra now have a chance to pen their own story as a pair of well-liked former ‘Nucks who achieved championship success with the AHL club in Abbotsford. With one of the NHL’s youngest (and weakest) rosters at their disposal, Johnson and Malhotra couldn’t ask for a cleaner slate. The road back to relevance nonetheless promises to be long and full of challenges. 

KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES

Additions

Brendan Gallagher, RW
Paul Cotter, LW
Luke Schenn, D
Jamie Oleksiak, D
Chris Driedger, G (PTO)

Departures

Marcus Pettersson, D (NYR)
Nils Hoglander, LW (Nsh)
Evander Kane, LW (UFA)
Teddy Blueger, C (Tor)
Derek Forbort, D (UFA)
P-O Joseph, D (Car)
Curtis Douglas, C (Sea)

OFFENSE

For the first time in years, no one’s asking if Pettersson can recapture the explosive offense and elite two-way results that characterized his early 20s. That’s only because it’s starting to feel cruel. Averaging just 57 points per 82 NHL games since he signed his fateful extension in March 2024, Pettersson has never lived up to his elite salary and the expectations that come with it. Perhaps a post-hype renaissance is in store for the 27-year-old, who has been through a lot off the ice over the past two seasons. If not, Pettersson can still eat through tough assignments on a barren roster without making things worse.

Speedy veteran Jake DeBrusk (team-high 23 G) could help Pettersson get back on track by shaking off an impossibly snakebitten season at 5-on-5 (DeBrusk’s 2.48 S% was last among forwards with 550+ minutes) and providing ‘EP40’ a dangerous outlet on the rush. If DeBrusk can couple his emergence as a power-play monster in Vancouver (33 PPG for VAN, 2nd in NHL since 2024) with the transition offense that buoyed his stats in Boston, maybe he will finally reach the 30-goal plateau; the skill has always been there. Hard-working former AHL standout Linus Karlsson is the camp favorite to start opposite DeBrusk on Pettersson’s unit. Karlsson’s out to prove his 35-point output as a 26-year-old rookie can translate in top-six minutes.

The longest-tenured Canuck, Brock Boeser, is conspicuous in his absence from a loosely defined ‘top line.’The lumbering Boeser has always required quick, hardworking linemates to create looks for his massive shot (226 G, 8th most in VAN history) off the cycle. For now, Chytil and physical free-agent signing Paul Cotter are tasked with bringing speed to Boeser’s unit, but don’t be surprised to see Boeser team back up with youngsters Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi if the Canucks struggle to find offense early on. Ohgren is a bull-strong winger coming off of a big summer, and Rossi is looking to latch onto the 2C role long-term in Vancouver after finishing last season with a flurry (20 P in final 22 GP) spurred in part by his chemistry down the stretch with Boeser (22 P in final 23 GP).

Given how unproven Vancouver’s top six is, consistent availability from Chytil would provide Malhotra with some semblance of depth scoring. A one-man zone entry in transition who plays a muscular, straight-line game, Chytil is a quality middle-six play driver. The hockey world is rooting for the Czech center to put his lengthy history of head injuries in the rearview and enjoy a long, fruitful career. Failing that, it’s hoping Chytil retires before he gets really hurt.

Despite a dearth of high-end skill (30th in scoring offense), the Canucks reliably created danger on the power play, which actually improved after the Hughes trade (23.8% after Dec. 12, 9th). Pettersson (18 PPA, first on team), opportunistic low-slot finisher DeBrusk (19 PPG, 2nd in NHL), and hard-shooting defenseman Filip Hronek (21 PPP, 14th among defensemen) formed the core of the Canucks’ top unit, which really started cooking when Rossi (9 PPP in 33 GP for Van) took over Garland’s old spot on the left wall. It will be interesting to see if and when prized prospects Zeev Buium and Lekkerimaki (more on them later) can force their way into surprisingly well-established PP1.

DEFENSE

If the Canucks’ dead-last defensive finish (314 GA) last season was a shock, given their stingy ways during the Tocchet era and Foote’s reputation as a blue-line whisperer, a similar finish in 2026-27 would turn far fewer heads. Hughes, as you may have heard, is gone, and Johnson couldn’t resist taking a future Rangers first-round pick in exchange for workmanlike top-four stopper Marcus Pettersson earlier this offseason. That leaves Hronek, some stopgap options and a whole lot of kids to hold down the fort.

A steady, skilled defender with sneaky physicality (career-high 133 hits) packed into his six-foot frame, Hronek has replaced former partner Hughes as the Canucks’ most (only?) reliable blueliner; the ‘Nucks were flat-out embarrassed (outscored 141-76) when Hronek wasn’t patrolling the ice at 5-on-5 last season. Hronek’s results alongside Buium were stronger under the hood than an unfortunate 17-8 game score would suggest. While the pairs have been flip-flopped throughout camp, it’s possible that Jamie Oleksiak, not Buium, will start out the season on the Czech’s left side. A 6-foot-7, 250-pound mountain of a man who moves better than you’d expect, Oleksiak, a decent No. 4/5 option throughout his career, is being paid to endure brutal top-pair deployment and suffer the ugly results that will likely follow. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean Buium will get to find his sea legs in a cushy, sheltered role; those don’t exist for the current iteration of the Canucks, who, by the way, just bet $75 million that Buium will become their next franchise D-man. The former University of Denver star could start his first full season in BC (Buium arrived as part of the Hughes trade alongside Rossi and Ohgren) next to Luke Schenn, a familiar face in his third tour as a Canuck. Schenn’s toughness, leadership, and professionalism have extended his career long past his on-ice expiration date, and the 36-year-old crease cleaner looked overexposed even as a third-pair option in Winnipeg and Buffalo last season. Are the intangibles Schenn is supposed to impart on the smooth puckhandler Buium worth the shellacking they’ll take if the former plays anything resembling top-four minutes? 

Schenn and Oleksiak might not be terribly inspiring top-four options out of camp, but Tom Willander will surely supplant the former before the year is up. Willander, a former 11th-overall pick who flashed some potential as a puck carrier (21 P in 70 GP), never got a chance to gestate in the AHL (5 GP) and endured a tough rookie season as one of the worst metric performers in Foote’s non-system. Given how aggressively he’s attacked his development over the summer, perhaps a tough first year was the best thing for Willander. The Canucks still expect Willander to develop into a dynamic two-way defender, and he’ll approach Year 2 far more prepared for the rigors of an NHL season. 

The Canucks’ penalty kill (71.5%, last) lacked the surprising charm of their power play. The additions of Oleksiak and Schenn, and continued development from hard-hitting third-year defenseman Elias Pettersson (no relation to the namesake center), could somewhat alleviate Vancouver’s shorthanded woes. It’s unclear which forwards can help on the kill save for reliable two-way winger Drew O’Connor and the elder Pettersson.

GOALTENDING

The question for Demko is no longer whether he’ll be back in the Rogers Arena crease to start the season; Daniel Sedin already confirmed that’s not happening. It’s whether the brilliant netminder can return to a starter’s workload at some point during his new three-year contract. Demko is a true game winner when he’s on and was the Vezina runner-up after his most recent healthy season. That was two years ago, though, and he’s had each of his campaigns since then derailed (43 combined GP) by a rare muscular injury in his knee and hip surgery, respectively. Still only 30, Demko has time to reinvent himself a la Andrei Vasilevskiy, but you wonder if Demko would still be special without the unique post-to-post explosiveness that keeps getting him injured. 

With Demko predictably on the shelf, Kevin Lankinen will fill in as de facto No. 1 for the third straight season. The first two were quite the roller coaster. Lankinen joined the Canucks after spending the offseason unsigned in 2024, only to be thrust into starting duties shortly after signing with Vancouver (Demko, if you can believe it, got hurt) and perform well enough to earn an oddly timed long-term contract extension. Last season, though, Lankinen’s struggles and the Canucks’ shambolic defense helped trash Lankinen’s numbers (3.70 GAA, .876 SV%) along with Vancouver’s season. 

Unless Demko, by far the best Canuck goalie last season despite appearing only 20 times (.895 SV%, .500 QS%), can return to health with unexpected celerity, Lankinen’s only relief from the onslaught awaiting him in Vancouver’s crease will come in the form of spot starts by Nikita Tolopilo. A 6-foot-6 Belarusian with shaky fundamentals, Tolopilo never did show as much promise as former Abbotsford batterymate (and current Pittsburgh Penguin) Arturs Silovs. This could be the 26-year-old’s last extended opportunity to show some semblance of an NHL-worthy ceiling.

COACHING

Where do you begin if you’re Manny Malhotra? The Canucks, let’s face it, are starting from zero after a crushing season on and off the ice. Malhotra, who led Abbotsford to Calder Cup glory in 2025 and has pre-existing relationships with Karlsson, fourth-line speedster Max Sasson, and Pettersson the younger, to name a few, spent camp installing a 1-1-3 blue line trap that, if nothing else, should work better than whatever was going on last season. Malhotra’s work with the Canucks will have to go far deeper than Xs and Os, though. The real challenge for the former shutdown center will be getting his men to embrace the grind and approach what promises to be another difficult season with pride and professionalism.

Johnson brought back an all-timer of a locker room guy in Schenn and traded for long-time Canadien and consummate pro Brendan Gallagher to give Malhotra some backup in the morale department. Incumbent leaders Boeser and Hronek, for their part, have said all the right things about their attitude toward the long road ahead. A strong indicator of Malhotra’s initial success behind the bench will be whether everyone is still so positive about the wretched state of the once-proud ‘Nucks after a few months of getting hit in the mouth, both literally and on the scoresheet.

Back to those Xs and Os: Malhotra built his own staff after Foote’s was unsurprisingly cleaned out, though Brett McLean was a bit unlucky to go down with the ship given the relative strength of Vancouver’s power play. Ryan Mougenel will take over that unit after a lengthy, successful stint as coach of the AHL Providence Bruins, while Jordan Smith is following Malhotra from ‘Abby’ to help reinvent the Canucks’ defensive scheme. 

ROOKIES

The Canucks selected Manny’s son Caleb Malhotra with the third-overall pick in June to become their future 1C, but Caleb is off to Boston University for at least a season. With Willander, Karlsson, and Buium all having spent up their Calder eligibility last year, there isn’t as much rookie buzz as you’d expect around a last-place team. Still, Vancouver has two forwards at very different stages of their development looking to make a splash with the big club this season. 

On one end of the spectrum, Jonathan Lekkerimaki is all but guaranteed a roster spot, if only so the Canucks can finally decide if he’s an NHL player. Lekkerimaki has played parts of the past two seasons with Vancouver but is still officially a rookie. A former 15th-overall pick with a wicked release that allowed him to pour in goals at the SHL and AHL levels, Lekkerimaki still needs to prove he can earn looks for that plus shot in the show despite his diminutive frame. A spot on the power-play would help, though that would mean beating out the more established Rossi.

Fellow former No. 15 pick Braeden Cootes may have made the team out of camp last season (3 GP), but Cootes is under zero pressure to crack the big club as one of those new AHL-eligible teenagers you’ve been hearing about. Like Malhotra (that’s Caleb, not Manny), Cootes is a detail-oriented, well-rounded center with a solid work rate. After a strong preseason, he’s looking to prove the AHL is no more ready for him than the WHL was last year. That is to say, not very.

BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Are more trades coming? The Canucks aren’t going to have anything but pride and development on the line by January, if their roster is anything to go by, and the future remains their priority. Still, they won’t move players like Pettersson, whose value is (hopefully) at its nadir, Hronek, a key player and leader whose contract will actively gain value for the next several seasons, or Boeser, who chose to stay with their club despite Rutherford and Allvin’s bungling of his contract situation, just to move them. That’s the key cogs covered, but what about Chytil, a pending UFA who is holding a spot for Cootes? Chytil has value if he’s playing, which is why he was part of the J.T. Miller trade in 2025. How about DeBrusk? His power-play surge must have earned him some admirers, and it’s difficult to envision him invoking his trade protection if it means playing out his prime for a rebuilder. The new Johnson-led front office will have plenty of opportunities to wheel and deal.

2. Is there a superstar in this organization? Vancouver only just began rebuilding. It’s not as though the team won’t have more chances to answer this question in future drafts. The Canucks have nonetheless already made major swings that will help determine the speed of said rebuild, and 2025-26 will be an early indicator of whether they got them right. If Malhotra’s motor makes him an impact scorer as a collegiate freshman and Buium unlocks enough of a shooting threat to make defenders think twice about playing the pass, Johnson and Co. will be that much more confident they already secured two of the building blocks of the club’s next generation. 

3. Is Demko still on the team? The official answer is yes, of course; Demko is signed through 2029 at a healthy number. Like so many of Rutherford and Allvin’s last several transactions, Demko’s extension was informed by their desperate attempts to appease Hughes, not actual market values. No one will be upset with the player himself if Demko’s unfortunate injury record renders his $8.5-AAV cap hit a means to reach the salary floor and nothing more. Still, a little clarity would be nice given the shroud of mystery that has hung over his status on-and-off since the 2024 postseason and the dominance Demko was capable of before then. 

PREDICTION

For the Canucks to have any hope of cracking even the 80-point mark, ‘EP40’ has to score a point a game, Chytil needs to play a full season, Demko and Lankinen have to settle into a platoon by Christmas, and Buium must take a huge step into the 40-point range. Those outcomes range from hopelessly optimistic to plain unrealistic, and would Vancouver really be better off in the murky middle? 

If Johnson didn’t have interest in picking in the top three once more in 2027, he would have built his pal Malhotra a better roster. The newly minted GM brought in glue guys like Schenn and Gallagher to brace a young team for another basement finish, and, given the state of the blueline, you’d have to think Johnson will get his wish.