Canucks’ 5 Burning Questions Heading Into 2026-27 Season

As for DeBrusk, Boeser and other veterans like Drew O’Connor, Thatcher Demko, and Kevin Lankinen, Johnson has the same problem: they all have no-trade/no-move clauses in their contracts that require him to run any deal by them. However, he did get Marcus Pettersson to waive his no-move to go to the Rangers, so I guess it can be done. Still, it’s going to be tough to convince someone like Boeser or Demko to waive, considering they have publicly said they want to be part of the rebuild. Johnson has also stated that he wants veterans on the team who want to be in Vancouver.

If I had to predict who will get traded next, it has to be DeBrusk. It’s been a few months, but he did say he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild at this stage of his career, though he clarified those comments in a later interview. He has also been in the rumour mill quite a bit, most recently connected to the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators.

Furthermore, Canucks ownership has reportedly handed Johnson a mandate to reduce payroll by $20 million compared to last season. They have already shipped out $12 million, leaving $8 million to go. As such, more trades have to be on the way.

Should Braeden Cootes Start the Season in Abbotsford?

For years, Canadian Hockey League (CHL) prospects under 20 years old could not play in the American Hockey League (AHL) unless they were doing a conditioning stint. If they didn’t make the NHL roster, they had to be sent back to their CHL team. But this season will be different, as the NHL and CHL modified their agreement to allow one 19-year-old to join the AHL. Barring an impressive training camp/preseason that blows the coaching staff away, that prospect will likely be Braeden Cootes.

Cootes could very well make the opening night roster, but with the option of the AHL in play, that leash will be short even if he does get named to it. With the logjam at centre, he will have to leapfrog a few veterans to get the proper ice time for his development. In the AHL, he would be the top-line centre for new head coach Ryan Papaioannou, playing 20-plus minutes a night in all situations, rather than 10-12 with little to no special teams time. His ceiling is a top-six centre like Bo Horvat, and if the Canucks want him to hit that, the AHL is probably the best place for him at this point.

How Will the Canucks Handle the Goaltending Situation?

The Canucks will enter 2026-27 in almost the exact predicament they were in last season: three goaltenders who require waivers. Allvin remedied the situation in 2025-26 by trading Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins, leaving Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen to man the crease in Vancouver. This season, Johnson might have to do the same thing, but with Nikita Tolopilo.

Demko and Lankinen are locked in as the 1A/1B tandem again entering the season, and given Demko’s injury history, it’s probably a good idea to have a solid number three around. Unfortunately, Tolopilo needs to clear waivers to be sent down to Abbotsford, and just like Silovs, he likely would not clear. So, unless the Canucks feel comfortable using a roster spot on a goaltender and running with a trio, one of Tolopilo, Demko or Lankinen will have to be traded. Demko and Lankinen are locked into no-trade/no-move clauses, making Tolopilo the most likely to be moved.

Is Jonathan Lekkerimaki Still a Big Part of the Future?

Jonathan Lekkerimaki should be healthy for training camp after shoulder surgery derailed his 2025-26 season. He was on a hot streak with the Abbotsford Canucks before getting shut down, posting four goals in 10 games, including two against the Ontario Reign before the game that ultimately ended his season. He remains one of the Canucks’ top prospects and young players, but probably not the top of the heap anymore, with Caleb Malhotra getting selected third overall in June.

It might not be fair to say that Lekkerimaki is approaching make-or-break status at 22 years old, but he needs to start showing more at the NHL level goal-scoring-wise, considering that was one of the reasons he was drafted in the first place. His bread and butter at the American Hockey League (AHL) level is his shot, which he gets off with remarkable speed and accuracy; unfortunately, it has not been on display enough in the NHL. I still believe he has 30-goal potential, and this season he will have a huge opportunity to snag a spot in the top-six alongside either Pettersson or Marco Rossi, and most importantly, be a primary trigger man on the power play without Evander Kane in the mix.

Over the last two seasons, Lekkerimaki was one of Malhotra’s go-to options in Abbotsford, where he scored 10 power-play goals. He should get more time in his office at the left hash marks with his former AHL coaches Malhotra and Jordan Smith behind the bench, and it will be his job to take advantage of it.

Beyond the power play, Lekkerimaki also has to stay relevant at even strength and force the coaching staff to give him more than just 10 or 11 minutes a night. At his peak, he should be a top-line scorer who is dangerous every shift, not someone who disappears into the background when he’s not on the power play. This season, he needs to show that he’s not only worth his draft position, but a major part of this rebuild – especially with Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotny now in the mix.

What Will Malhotra’s System Look Like in the NHL?

This season won’t only see new faces on the ice, but behind the bench as well. For what seems like the upteenth time, the Canucks will be breaking in a new coaching staff, but this time led by a rookie with zero NHL games under his belt. Malhotra has spent two full AHL seasons as a head coach, one that culminated in a Calder Cup championship and the other filled with adversity and a near-last-place finish. He’s seen both ends of the spectrum, which should help him navigate what’s to come in Vancouver.

As for what fans can expect when the puck drops on Sept. 19 against the Seattle Kraken, it’s tough to say for certain. According to Canucks Army’s Elijah Ford, Malhotra’s system “was influenced by his time with Sheldon Keefe in Toronto. The main principles behind it are puck possession, taking away primary scoring areas, and applying consistent pressure on the puck through double teams and forecheckers.”

However, with new coaching influences from Ryan Mougenel and Jason Krog, along with NHL players with a higher hockey IQ and skill level, the system will undoubtedly be tweaked. What will definitely remain are a strong work ethic and being hard to play against, two things that have been consistent in any conversation the media has had with Malhotra and Johnson so far.

Training Camp Begins Sept. 17 in Penticton

This season will be tough to watch from a standings and points perspective. That much is certain. What it won’t lack, however, is things to watch and talk about. From prospects and young guns trying to establish themselves in the NHL to what the next core of Canucks will look like and Malhotra’s influence on the locker room, we should be in store for a fun and sometimes unpredictable 2026-27. And it all begins in Penticton when training camp opens on Sept. 17.