Breaking down 7 remaining roster battles for the Vancouver Canucks

The regular season is rapidly approaching for the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks will kick off the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Sept. 29. That leaves them with little time to wittle down their roster to the 23-man league limit.

It also leaves little time for the players to stake their claim on a spot in the lineup. Whether it’s a player on the bubble just trying to make the roster or one aiming for a bigger role, there are few opportunities left to make their case.

Let’s take a look at seven of the battles remaining ahead of the regular season.

First-line left wing

Frontrunner: Jake DeBrusk

It seems like a given that Jake DeBrusk will be on the top line to start the season after he led the team in goal-scoring last season.

DeBrusk has been matched with Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson on the presumed first line right from the start of camp, and he hasn’t done anything to lose that job.

But…

Contender: Liam Öhgren

Liam Öhgren has been a bona fide revelation at camp this year. The young winger has been shooting the lights out, dominating in battle drills, and ripping up the ice with his speed.

“He’s a stud,” said Brock Boeser to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, “and he’s going to be a stud.”

While Öhgren has been on a line with Boeser and Marco Rossi — the BRÖ Line — one has to wonder if Manny Malhotra will consider putting the energetic young winger with Pettersson at some point.

Wildcards: Paul Cotter, Adam Novotný

While DeBrusk and Öhgren seem like a lock for the top-six, the speed of Paul Cotter makes him an interesting option for Pettersson’s wing.

Meanwhile, Adam Novotný has made a case for getting at least a cup of coffee in the NHL to start the season; could it be alongside Pettersson?

Seventh defenceman

Frontrunner: Kirill Kudryavtsev

The Canucks’ top-six defencemen seem set with veterans Filip Hronek, Jamie Oleksiak, and Luke Schenn alongside youngsters Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson. But there’s still a battle for the role of seventh defenceman.

Kirill Kudryavtsev has versatility on his side, as the left-shot defenceman can play both sides of the ice. He’s been steady, if unspectacular, making him the frontrunner for the job primarily because his competition has faltered.

Contender: Victor Mancini

In the Canucks’ preseason opener, Mancini hurt his case to make the team out of camp with his puck management, or lack thereof.

One thing in Mancini’s favour, however, is that he’s on a one-way contract. That means he’ll be paid the full freight of his $950,000 salary whether he’s in the AHL or the NHL.

Kudryavtsev, on the other hand, is on a two-way contract that will pay him just $80,000 per year in the AHL, saving the Canucks some serious coin if he gets sent to Abbotsford.

Wildcard: Guillaume Brisebois

Guillaume Brisebois has been with the Canucks for a long time — longer than every player on the roster aside from Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko.

Along the way, he’s proven himself as a solid teammate and veteran in the AHL, but has only played 30 NHL games.

But what if the Canucks feel it would be better for their development if Kudryavtsev and Mancini both played big minutes in Abbotsford? That could mean Brisebois gets a chance to stick in the NHL for the first time in his career.

Third-line centre

Frontrunner: Filip Chytil

With Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi in the top-six, that leaves Filip Chytil to centre the third line.

That’s where Chytil has lined up throughout training camp, most recently in between Drew O’Connor and Jonathan Lekkerimäki on what would be a more offensively oriented bottom-six line.

There are two big question marks for Chytil, however: can he stay healthy, and would he be a better fit as a winger?

Contender: Aatu Räty

The question marks surrounding Chytil mean that Aatu Räty could seize the third-line centre spot.

Räty is a wizard in the faceoff circle, but has had some shaky moments defensively that have made it tough to depend on him as a two-way, third-line centre. But with a new system under Manny Malhotra, Räty might be able to find that defensive game.

That said, Räty has primarily been matched with fourth-line wingers at camp.

Wildcards: Braeden Cootes, Max Sasson

If Braeden Cootes continues to thrive in the preseason, it might be tough to send him down to the AHL. And if he’s going to be in the NHL, he needs to play, so he shouldn’t be on the fourth line.

Meanwhile, Max Sasson has continued to line up at centre throughout training camp, a sign of where they see the speedy forward playing. Does he have a shot at being the team’s third-line centre?

Top-pairing left defence

Frontrunner: Zeev Buium

Zeev Buium didn’t start training camp on the top defence pairing with Filip Hronek, but that’s where he has been at recent practices.

The Canucks made a major commitment to Buium, signing him to an eight-year contract, so it makes sense that he’d be the first choice for top-pairing minutes. The young defenceman should be ready for the role.

Contender: Jamie Oleksiak

While Buium makes sense alongside Hronek, as it would allow the Canucks to pair a young defenceman with a veteran throughout their defence corps, there’s a case for putting two veterans together as well.

Jamie Oleksiak joined the Canucks in free agency and has a lot of experience in a top-four role. If Malhotra wants to insulate his young defencemen and throw his veterans to the wolves, that’s an option.

Wildcard: Elias Pettersson

To be blunt, Elias Pettersson (the defenceman) hasn’t been particularly good at training camp.

But Pettersson thrives in a highly-structured environment and could hit his stride as the preseason progresses and the chaos lessens. If Malhotra wants a more defensively minded defenceman alongside Hronek, Pettersson would make sense.

Second-line centre

Frontrunner: Marco Rossi

Marco Rossi was a standout at training camp, especially during the scrimmage with linemates Öhgren and Boeser.

It stands to reason that he’ll start the season as the Canucks’ second-line centre.

Contender: Filip Chytil

There’s an outside chance that Filip Chytil has an outstanding couple of preseason games and steals the second-line role from Rossi.

Let’s face it: it’s a long shot. But there’s another possibility…

Wildcard: Elias Pettersson

What if Marco Rossi outbattles Elias Pettersson, turning his line into the first line and making Pettersson into the Canucks’ second-line centre?

13th forward

Frontrunner: Arshdeep Bains

It’s been a very solid training camp for Arshdeep Bains, who is about as reliable a professional as you can find on the Canucks’ roster.

Given his waiver status and the need to get young players ice time in Abbotsford, there’s definitely a case for Bains to get the job. He’s the kind of player who can spend time in the press box and then put forward a reliable, consistent effort every time he gets in the lineup.

Contenders: Max Sasson, Ilya Safonov

Max Sasson is aiming to earn a job in the opening-night lineup, but he might find himself on the outside looking in. A lot depends on what the Canucks decide to do at centre with the likes of Filip Chytil and Aatu Räty.

Then there’s Ilya Safonov, who comes with a lot of KHL experience and plays a simple, low-event game. He wins faceoffs, is responsible in his own end, and is 6’4″ every time he steps over the boards.

Wildcards: Matthew Stienburg, Trey Fix-Wolansky

Matthew Stienburg has quietly put together a great training camp, and he was one of the Canucks’ best players in their first preseason game. Injuries have derailed his professional career, but he might be able to get it back on track in Vancouver.

Trey Fix-Wolansky is a ball of energy and is a proven goalscorer in the AHL. That’s likely where he’ll land to start the season, but his play in camp has given him a chance at getting some time in the NHL.

Starting goaltender

Frontrunner: Kevin Lankinen

Let’s be clear here: we’re talking about the starting goaltender just for the start of the season, not the whole year.

Veteran netminder Kevin Lankinen is most likely going to get the job and play the majority of the games early on until Thatcher Demko is healthy.

Contender: Nikita Tolopilo

It’s easy to think of Nikita Tolopilo as a young prospect, but he’s already 26 years old.

When called upon last season, Tolopilo outperformed Lankinen, and he looked solid in the Canucks’ preseason opener. Will Tolopilo get a chance to win the starting job from Lankinen?

Wildcard: Thatcher Demko

The wildcard here isn’t a young goaltender with a chance to battle for the number-one job. The two goaltenders who might do that, Aku Koskenvuo and Ty Young, have already been assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL.

Instead, the true wildcard is Demko’s health.

Demko was on the ice right from the start of training camp, albeit not with either of the main groups. There’s still an outside chance that he’s ready to start the season.

The Canucks, however, will not rush him.

“We never had a timeline on his recovery,” said general manager Ryan Johnson. “We just wanted to make sure it was a one-time thing and that when he got back, he felt 100 per cent ready to go, that he had done everything possible to get to that point without rushing it or feeling like we were trying to expedite it.”

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