Pettersson vs. Rossi and other Canucks training camp battles to watch
The Vancouver Canucks enter the 2026-27 campaign with roster questions aplenty. Welcome to the infancy of the rebuild.
Manny Malhotra will enter training camp as the franchise’s 23rd head coach. With the state of the Canucks roster, the 46-year-old has an abundance of malleability he could flex.
As we inch closer to training camp, here are six Canucks training camp battles worth paying attention to.
1. First-line centre
- Contenders: Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi
The Canucks would obviously be in a better spot if Elias Pettersson erased the doubts about his ability as a first-line centre.
However, as the Canucks horrid season dwindled in 2025-26, it was pretty clear who the more dynamic centre was for Vancouver.
From March 1 onwards, Rossi’s 11 even-strength points tied with Brock Boeser for the team lead. Over the same stretch, Pettersson had five even-strength points, tied for 10th on the team.
Pettersson did play some of the toughest minutes in the league. However, in offensive zone situations, he didn’t look as engaged or dangerous as Rossi.
If Pettersson is going to be the Canucks first-line centre, he’ll likely need to make a good first impression on Malhotra at training camp. Otherwise, expect the battle-tested Rossi to get first crack at being the Canucks’ top pivot.
2. PP1 quarterback
- Leading candidate: Filip Hronek
- Contender: Zeev Buium
It flew under the radar last season, but the Canucks power play was actually good.
And, it got even better following the departure of Quinn Hughes. A big reason for that was the quietly solid performance of Filip Hronek.
Pretty surprising #Canucks stat from last year that flew under the radar.
Among all NHL defencemen who played at least 50 minutes on the power play (5-on-4), Filip Hronek led the league in points-per-60.
He quietly took over as the PP QB last season after Hughes left. pic.twitter.com/nob7MJmbNp
— Trevor Beggs (@TrevBeggs) August 14, 2026
The Canucks reigning MVP isn’t as flashy as Hughes or Zeev Buium, but he’s an experienced puck mover on the power play, having success in that role with both the Canucks and Detroit Red Wings.
Eventually, Buium should take over as the PP1 quarterback. Could that happen as soon as training camp?
3. Top-six RW
Canucks’ Linus Karlsson likely deserves a shot in the top-six. (Stephen Brashear/Imagn Images)
- Leading candidate: Brock Boeser
- Contenders: Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Brendan Gallagher
Boeser is really the only Canucks right winger who’s locked into a top-six role. After that, it’s an open competition for minutes.
Linus Karlsson should get first crack at a top-six role, after leading the team in five-on-five points last season. But Brendan Gallagher is an experienced vet who could conceivably push him for minutes.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki is the biggest wild-card. Based on his goal-scoring rate in the AHL, he could be ready for a top-six role. Although his health issues and inconsistent NHL play cast some doubt on that. He’s also waiver-exempt and could begin the season in Abbotsford.
4. Left wing in flux
- In the mix: Liam Ohgren, Jake DeBrusk, Filip Chytil, Drew O’Connor, Paul Cotter, Max Sasson
The left-wing depth chart is even murkier than the right side.
Liam Ohgren feels like a good bet to slot in alongside Rossi and Boeser, at least to begin camp. But he’s by no means a lock in the top-six.
Jake DeBrusk’s absurdly low five-on-five shooting percentage last season magnified his ineffectiveness at evens. However, he rarely looked threatening outside of power play mop-up duty. He did see his five-on-five ice time slip during the last two months of the season, with Ohgren, Drew O’Connor and Evander Kane all averaging more minutes per game.
O’Connor is the least sexy of the left wing options, but he did outscore all of his competitors at five-on-five last season.
Paul Cotter has some Kiefer Sherwood-like potential, but he still has to overcome a down season with the New Jersey Devils last year.
Max Sasson seems slated for a fourth-line role. However, he’s arguably the fastest of the Canucks forwards, plus he has a built-in repertoire with Malhotra.
It’s also fair to wonder that, if Filip Chytil is healthy, is it better to slot him in at wing? That would allow him to have less responsibility, which theoretically would help him avoid another injury.
5. Bottom-six centre
Could Braeden Cootes crack the Canucks roster for a second year in a row? (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
- Leading candidate: Aatu Raty
- In the mix: Filip Chytil, Max Sasson, Braeden Cootes, Ilya Safonov, Akil Thomas
Chytil’s health is the biggest wild-card here. But until the 26-year-old proves he can stay healthy, it’s hard to count on him being in the lineup.
If Chytil isn’t healthy, or the Canucks decide to slot him in at wing, then Aatu Raty seems destined for the third-line centre role.
Braeden Cootes’ encore at Canucks camp will be fascinating to watch. He would have to author one hell of a September now that the 19-year-old can be assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks. Regardless, the AHL is probably best for his development.
Sasson looked more comfortable at wing than centre last season. However, he did play centre under Malhotra in Abbotsford.
Assuming Raty slots in at 3C, Chytil isn’t available, and Cootes is in the AHL, then it’s likely Sasson, Russian centre Ilya Safonov, and offseason signing Akil Thomas battling it out for the fourth-line centre role.
6. Backup goalie
- Leading candidate: Kevin Lankinen
- In the mix: Nikita Tolopilo
The backup goalie position matters more in Vancouver than it does in most markets.
While many NHL teams do employ some sort of tandem, there’s a strong chance that the winner of this training camp battle could be the Canucks primary goaltender.
There are already some whispers that Thatcher Demko may not be ready for camp after coming off major hip surgery. Kevin Lankinen should once again get first crack at being the starter. However, he was outplayed by Nikita Tolopilo last season.