Canucks Weekly: Pettersson, Chytil, Novotny, Rogowski & More

Novotny wasn’t the only prospect that stood out. His line on Sunday with Cootes and Brooks Rogowski was by far the best, as Cootes scored a goal and Rogowski finished with three assists. Ty Young was also a standout in goal, recording a shutout before Aku Koskenvuo – who also had a strong outing after allowing the first shot he faced – took over to finish the game.

Overall, the Canucks prospects split the two games, falling 7-3 on Saturday and bouncing back with a 5-2 victory on Sunday. Now, they will look forward to training camp, which begins in Penticton this Thursday.

Elias Pettersson In a “Great Headspace” Going Into Training Camp

Of all the veterans on the Canucks, Elias Pettersson was definitely in the news more often during the offseason. Speculation about his future in Vancouver has been a constant in the rumour mill for what seems like forever, and it still is heading into his ninth season in the NHL. He’s now working on year three of eight of his $11.6 million average annual value (AAV) extension, and he has yet to live up to the price tag.

But, according to Brock Boeser, heading into training camp this year, Pettersson is in a way better headspace to finally return to the player who hit 102 points in 2022-23 and was worth being paid double-digits well into his 30s.

“Seems like he’s in a great headspace,” Boeser said at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour. “Way better than the last few years.”

We will have to wait and see if that translates to results on the ice, but coming into camp with a positive attitude and mindset is a great first step.

Filip Chytil Adjusting His Game to Avoid Another Concussion

Filip Chytil’s first two seasons in a Canucks uniform have not gone smoothly, and that’s putting it mildly. He has only played 27 games, suffering two concussions, constant migraines and a puck to the face in practice that required surgery. He is coming into camp healthy, just like last season, but this time, with a plan to adjust his game to avoid another concussion.

“There’s still elements in the game which I have to what I have to work on: the biggest one is to stay in a game,” [Chytil] said, flatly. “Of course, sometimes you cannot avoid it, or sometimes it’s hard to predict what’s gonna happen. But there’s also my game. What I had to work on, I was working on it off the ice. I watched a lot of clips during the summer. Also last year, at the end of season when I didn’t play, we watched a lot of clips with (Jason Krog), and yeah, I think it helped” (from ‘Canucks: Filip Chytil knows he has to change his game,’ The Province, 9/10/26).

Chytil has been watching how other speedsters like Connor McDavid, Martin Necas, and Nathan MacKinnon move around the ice, taking lessons from them on awareness and not putting themselves into positions to get hit hard, especially up high.

“I’m not saying I play like them because I got different playing style, but it’s just their players who play with speed …” he noted, then pointed out the biggest thing he hopes to improve: ” … who are not getting to these positions where they are vulnerable.”

Chytil is also hoping a number change from 72 to 77 begins a run of good luck: “It’s a new beginning. It’s been (a) long three years and even some small changes can make a huge difference at the end of the day. And also my whole family is there — my wife (Nikol), my daughter (Sofie) … they have sevens in their days of birth.”

With all that Chytil has gone through in his career so far, I hope these changes help him avoid another concussion. Not just to keep him on the ice playing the game he loves, but for his lifestyle after he retires. Concussions are no joke, and considering the amount he’s had to endure so far, another one will only accelerate an early retirement and possibly a tough road for the rest of his life, too.

9 Games Move Behind Sportsnet+ Paywall & Radio Switches From AM to FM

Canucks fans will have to pay even more money to be able to watch games this season – that is, if they want to watch all 84. In addition to NHL on Prime’s Wednesday Night Hockey slate, which features two Canucks games, Rogers also announced nine Monday Night Hockey games that will be available exclusively on the premium Sportsnet+ service. If you don’t want to pay for a full subscription, a $12.99/month add-on will be available to current cable subscribers. It will be interesting to see how many fans feel passionate enough to shell out more of their hard-earned money, especially considering the team might not be that good again.

Good news is, if fans are willing to forego watching the game, listening will still be an option after the announcement that Kiss radio will carry broadcasts this season. Rogers shut down Sportsnet 650 in July, so now fans will have to switch from AM to FM to hear the voices of Brendan Batchelor and Randeep Janda. Yes, thankfully they will be returning to the booth in this new format.

Unfortunately, there will reportedly be no pre- or postgame shows where fans can call in to voice their opinion after a win or loss. There might be in-house stuff from the Canucks themselves (Chris Faber expanding his Insider Podcast, perhaps?), but nothing has been announced on that front yet.

Canucks’ Schedule This Week

• Sept. 17-20: Training camp in Penticton at South Okanagan Events Centre
  • Practices daily at 9 am
  • Super Saturday scrimmage at 11 am