Vancouver Canucks lines vs. Calgary Flames (Sept. 22, 2026)
The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames could be in a battle for the bottom all season long.
Both teams are embarking on a rebuild after multiple seasons of futility. Both have traded away veterans and pivoted towards a new young core. Both are looking at this season as an opportunity to develop their young talent and, hopefully, land the number-one pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
That potentially makes every meeting between the Canucks and Flames this season a must-watch game.
The two long-time rivals will be battling to prove themselves, and the level of competition should be about equal, which ought to result in some entertaining hockey. Meanwhile, the results of each game could be the determining factor in where each team picks in the draft.
That’s compelling. That’s drama. That’s fun.
Tuesday’s game in Calgary might not provide any of that. It is, after all, just the preseason.
But it is a chance to see how the Canucks’ young prospects fare against a Flames lineup that should be fairly representative of their NHL group this coming season. That’s nearly ideal for a Canucks fan.
If the Canucks lose, that’s all well and good, because they were facing NHLers. Fans can focus on the individual performances of prospects and project all their hope for the future on them.
If the Canucks win, on the other hand, it’s a marvellous opportunity to dunk on the Flames. And what could a Canucks fan want more than that?
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
With just four preseason games this year, the Vancouver Canucks have to be judicious about who they put in the lineup for each game, balancing the need to give players on the bubble a chance to prove themselves and the need to get their core group up to speed for the start of the regular season.
Veterans are also limited to just two preseason games, however, and it looks like head coach Manny Malhotra is saving his veterans for the two games in Vancouver. So, the Canucks will send a very young group to Calgary.
Here are the Canucks’ projected lines, via Brendan Batchelor:
Adam Novotný – Braeden Cootes – Trey Fix-Wolansky
Arshdeep Bains – Aatu Räty – Matthew Stienburg
Ilya Safonov – Ty Mueller – Brooks Rogowski
Ben Berard – Riley Patterson – Yaroslav Bryzgalov
Jimmy Schuldt – Victor Mancini
Guillaume Brisebois – Tom Willander
Kirill Kudryavtsev – Cole Clayton
Kevin Lankinen
Aleksei Medvedev
There are a couple of interesting things to note about this lineup.
Adam Novotný and Braeden Cootes have had a spark of chemistry since they were put together during the Prospect Showcase against the Seattle Kraken. They could be a fun line in Calgary, especially with the energetic Trey Fix-Wolansky on the wing.
If Novotný gets assigned to the AHL this season — admittedly, an unlikely option — this trio would be one to watch in Abbotsford.
One is the third line of Ilya Safonov, Ty Mueller, and Brooks Rogowski. All three are ostensibly centres, but it seems like the Canucks want to take a look at how Safonov and Rogowski play on the wings.
That’s especially notable for Safonov, who has an outside shot at breaking camp as the Canucks’ fourth-line centre. The competition might be tougher for him to make the team as a winger.
On defence, it’s interesting to see Kirill Kudryavtsev on the left side, as he’s been on the right side throughout training camp. He’s been solid, if unspectacular, so perhaps Malhotra wants to see what he can do on what should be his more natural left side.
The Canucks’ starting goaltender is expected to be Kevin Lankinen, who is the only real NHL veteran in the lineup.
Calgary Flames projected lines
The Flames will be looking to put on a better show for their home fans than they did on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken, so it’s no surprise to see a veteran-heavy lineup.
Here are the Flames’ projected lines, courtesy of Flames Now 770’s Pat Steinberg:
Matvei Gridin – Morgan Frost – Matt Coronato
Samuel Honzek – Mikael Backlund – Joel Farabee
Connor Zary – Ryan Strome – Yegor Sharangovich
Maxim Tsyplakov – Martin Pospisil – Adam Klapka
Kevin Bahl – Simon Nemec
Jacob Middleton – Zayne Parekh
Yan Kuznetsov – Zach Whitecloud
Dustin Wolf
Kirill Zarubuin
This is essentially the group that Canucks fans should expect to see when they play the Flames this season.
It should lead to a season-long debate over which team is better set up for a rebuild.
The Flames’ starting goaltender is expected to be Dustin Wolf.