What roster decisions do the Canucks have left to make?

The first drop of the puck on the NHL season is officially a week away, but Vancouver Canucks fans will have to wait an extra two days before seeing their team officially kick off the 2025-26 season.

Nine days away from their home-opener against the Calgary Flames, there are still some questions to be answered about the Canucks’ opening night roster. Some decisions remain from the offseason, with players not grabbing the opportunity, and others running away with the job. And some players who weren’t expected to crack the NHL roster are making it difficult for the Canucks brass to cut them.

Vancouver’s final two preseason games will be pivotal for some of these players to grab these final roster positions:

Who plays 3C?

Heading into training camp, many believed it was Aatu Räty’s job to lose. However, when the Canucks hit the ice in Penticton, it appeared Teddy Blueger was skating as the team’s third line centre, skating between Nils Höglander and Conor Garland.

Throughout the first two preseason games, it was tough to determine who had the upper hand, as they were not in the lineup together. In the preseason opener against the Seattle Kraken, Blueger skated beside Drew O’Connor and Danila Klimovich. The next game against the Calgary Flames, Räty centred a line with Vitali Kravtsov and Chase Stillman – playing behind Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson.

But in their third game, both Blueger and Räty were in the Canucks’ lineup. Blueger was given the higher role, skating on the third line with Kravtsov and Kiefer Sherwood, while Räty centred the fourth line with Vilmer Alriksson and Danila Klimovich – both of whom have not been sent down to AHL Abbotsford.

Räty made it into their latest preseason game, skating on the third line with Sherwood and Max Sasson.

While usually skating with lesser players, Räty has been able to outproduce Blueger. The Latvian centre has been held pointless through his two preseason outings, while the Finnish faceoff man has one goal and three points through his three preseason games.

However, are we overlooking a certain 18-year-old in this picture? Braeden Cootes has been the star of the preseason. He sits in a tie for the team lead in preseason points and has shown the poise in the defensive zone that could very well see him start the season on the Canucks’ third line.

It’s a lot to ask of a young centre to crack the NHL roster right after the draft. However, he’s looked the part. In his latest outing against the Edmonton Oilers, Cootes’ line skated most of his 5-on-5 minutes against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Isaac Howard and Andrew Mangiapane. Against them, the Cootes line outshot the line Nugent-Hopkins line – filled with two NHL regulars who have played 14 and eight seasons – 4-0 at even strength.

It might not be out of the realm of possibilities to see a third line of Cootes, Räty and Sherwood come opening night. Cootes down the middle, sheltered by Räty, who can help in the faceoff circle is the youngster struggles, while giving him some familiarity with Sherwood – the player he showed well with in the Canucks’ scrimmage in Penticton.

Who replaces Höglander in the top nine?

If you hadn’t heard, winger Nils Höglander had surgery on his lower-body and will be out 8-10 weeks. That takes him out of the Canucks’ lineup until the end of November at the earliest. Höglander’s absence now leaves a void in the teams top-nine, with somebody needing to help replace his absence.

There are two candidates we think that could slide in for Höglander.

First, and the most likely is O’Connor. He’s got the most NHL games under his belt, as well as top-nine experience during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s expected to be a factor on the teams penalty kill, so if the Canucks went with a more defensive third line approach, he would be the front runner.

But the more intriguing name to fill in for Höglander in the top nine and replace his offence is Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

The 21-year-old Swede was expected to return to Abbotsford to continue his development. However, two strong outings in a row this preseason has quickly changed the opinion of Canucks fans. The coaching staff is giving Lekkerimäki every opportunity to impress. He skated on Team Blue’s top line with Evander Kane and Filip Chytil, and has remained in the teams top six, even in their big dress rehearsal night against the Kraken in Rogers Arena.

Lekkerimäki has points in back-to-back preseason games, logging three shots on goal in each contest. These final two games will be huge in determining if he’s ready to make the jump to an NHL top nine, but the Höglander injury now paves the path for that as early as October 9th’s opening night against the Flames.

Who are the 12th and 13th forwards going to be?

After leading the entire AHL in goals and points during Abbotsford’s successful Calder Cup run, many had Linus Karlsson pencilled into the final roster spot. While he has looked like his usual self and great around the net, he hasn’t exactly dominated against NHL talent. Luckily for Karlsson, neither have his strongest competition, so his spot as the teams 12th forward.

His competition for the roles are two of his Abbotsford linemates in the postseason, Arshdeep Bains and Max Sasson.

Between the two, Bains is the only one to find the scoresheet, grabbing th second assist on Victor Mancini’s goal against the Flames. However, when we compare the two players, Sasson’s speed and centre ability likely gives him the upperhand at being that extra forward. Even if these players are even at the current moment, Sasson would still have the edge as he’s proved he can produce at the NHL level, scoring three goals and seven points in 29 games last season, while Bains has just one goal in 21 career NHL games.

We can likely scratch Vitali Kravtsov off the list as candidates for the NHL roster. He has stood out for all the wrong reasons this preseason. The Russian winger took an offensive zone penatly in the Canucks’ second preseason game against the Kraken and a failed stick check and missed assignment on his check resulted in goals in the back of his teams net.

Who will be the 6th and 7th defenceman?

This has been a heated race through training camp and preseason. After playing 28 regular season games last year, many believed Elias Pettersson was the shoo-in to be the Canucks’ sixth defenceman. While he’s looked strong in the defensive zone, especially boxing out the opposition at the net front and along the walls, there have been a few lapses as well. Even if Pettersson doesn’t crack the opening night roster, he should firmly be the club’s seventh defenceman.

His biggest competition has been preseason standout Victor Mancini. He’s shown flashes of offensive brilliance, finding the back of the net in both of his outings, and pulling off impressive dekes. However, let’s remember he’s playing for a bottom-pairing role. The coaching staff is looking for steady defensive play and clean breakouts from a player in that role, not necessarily all the flashiness that Mancini has shown. Don’t get us wrong, coaches notice that too, but cleaning up the neutral zone turnovers would give Mancini a better chance at being on the roster come the middle of October.

Among a handful of young defencemen is PO Joseph, who seems like he was signed to be team’s seventh defenceman. He hasn’t been that noticeable, but that’s more of what the Canucks brass is searching for. Tom Willander is another option, and he’s looked much better in game action than he did in training camp. However, given how the organization has treated their young prospects, we’re likely to see Willander start the season in Abbotsford.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Which Canuck do you have filling in these roster spots come opening night?