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Canucks News & Rumours: Lankinen, Räty & Guessing Bigger

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (Stan Szeto-Imagn Images)

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Canucks News & Rumours: Lankinen, Räty & Guessing Bigger

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Aug 19, 2026 1:20 PM ET

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There are a couple of Vancouver Canucks players who could make next season rather interesting, and neither one necessarily needs to become a star for that to happen. Kevin Lankinen and Aatu Räty are at very different points in their careers, but both are heading into seasons in which the Canucks need to learn more about them.

Lankinen needs to show that last season was an ugly exception rather than the beginning of a decline. Räty, meanwhile, needs to show that there is more to his game than the 14 points he produced last season. In both cases, the Canucks may be looking for more than statistics. They need information.

Can Kevin Lankinen Rediscover His Grade-A Game?

Kevin Lankinen’s first season in Vancouver created some pretty good vibes around the Canucks. His second season did just about the opposite. In 47 games, he went 11-27-5 with a 3.70 goals-against average and an .876 save percentage, both career-worst numbers. The Canucks’ defensive structure certainly didn’t make his job easy, but Lankinen also wasn’t able to make the big saves often enough to keep games from slipping away.

That’s the part he needs to change. Lankinen has to get back to being the goalie who gives his team a chance on most nights. There were too many stretches last season when a couple of goals quickly became three or four, and once that happened, the Canucks were often finished. The .876 save percentage tells you plenty.

But I don’t think the team should look at that number in isolation. The team in front of him was a mess defensively, and that’s going to make any goalie look worse. If Vancouver can become more organized under new head coach Manny Malhotra and the new coaching structure, Lankinen should benefit. The flip side is that he has to take advantage of that help.

If the Canucks give him a better defensive environment, he needs to give them better goaltending in return. And there is another reason this season matters. If Vancouver eventually decides its future in goal belongs to a younger player, a bounce-back season could make him a useful trade chip. Goaltenders are always needed somewhere. One injury on a contender can suddenly create a market for a goalie who looked expendable a few weeks earlier.

So I don’t think the Canucks necessarily need to decide today whether Lankinen is their goalie for the next five years. They need to find out whether the goalie they saw in his first season in Vancouver is still in there. If he is, getting that player back could be one of the easier ways for the Canucks to improve in 2026-27.

What Can Aatu Räty Actually Become?

Aatu Räty is a completely different situation. With Räty, the numbers tell two different stories. He had just four goals and 14 points in 66 NHL games last season. If that’s all you looked at, you might reasonably conclude that he’s a bottom-six centre who isn’t going to produce much offence.

But then you look at what he did in the American Hockey League. Räty scored 18 goals and 52 points in 72 games in 2023-24. The following season, he scored 17 goals and 40 points in only 43 games. That’s good production. He also had 13 goals and 40 points in 41 games with Jukurit in Finland and added four goals and seven points in 10 games at the 2026 World Championship.

Vancouver Canucks center Aatu Raty wins a faceoff (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

So somewhere in there is a player who knows how to produce offence. The question is whether Vancouver has actually given him enough opportunity to show it. This is where Malhotra’s decisions regarding his deployment could significantly impact Räty’s season. If he plays 11 minutes a night on the fourth line, takes a bunch of defensive-zone faceoffs and spends most of his time trying not to make mistakes, then expecting 40 points would be a little silly.

But what if he gets a real chance? Put him in the top nine for a stretch. Give him some power-play time. Let him make a few mistakes. Give him enough ice time to get into the rhythm of an NHL game. Maybe he still doesn’t produce. That’s information, too.

I’d put Räty’s reasonable target somewhere around 25 to 30 points, with 35 to 40 being a realistic top end if everything falls into place. That wouldn’t make him a superstar, but it would be a significant jump from last season. And this is an important season for another reason. Räty is heading toward restricted free agency and will be arbitration-eligible. If he breaks out, the Canucks have a different contract conversation on their hands.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

This should be the season when the Canucks find out what they have in Lankinen and Räty. Lankinen doesn’t have to turn into an elite goaltender. He needs to show that last season was an ugly year and that he can be reliable again. Räty doesn’t have to become a 50-goal scorer. He needs to show whether there’s more offence in his game than we’ve seen so far.

That’s what rebuilding teams should do. Give players a big enough chance to show what they can become. Maybe Lankinen proves he’s a goalie worth keeping. Maybe Räty turns out to be a bottom-six centre, or maybe he earns a much bigger role. Either way, the Canucks need answers. As a rebuilding team, they need to figure out what they already have.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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