The Vancouver Canucks have moved on from Chris Driedger’s professional tryout, choosing not to give him a contract before the regular season begins, according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV.
That closes the book on a brief audition that started on 08/27/2026, when Vancouver signed the 32-year-old goaltender to a PTO in hopes of adding more depth in net for the 2026-27 season.
Driedger came into camp with a recent detour overseas behind him. After failing to land a professional contract - or even a tryout offer - last offseason, he headed to the KHL and joined Traktor Chelyabinsk.
That stint didn’t last long. Driedger and Traktor mutually terminated the deal in November after he posted an 8-9-7 record in 23 games with a .892 SV% and 3.05 GAA.
Even so, he brings a long North American track record that made him worth a look. A former third-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, Driedger has put together a 106-78-24 record in 217 AHL games, along with a .910 SV% and 2.74 GAA. In the NHL, he has gone 31-24-5 in 67 appearances with a .917 SV% and 2.45 GAA.
For the Canucks, the tryout was about more than just seeing whether Driedger still had something left. The team is hoping Thatcher Demko returns quickly from hip surgery, but Vancouver is not expecting him back for the regular season, or even training camp. That leaves Kevin Lankinen in line to carry the load again, while the depth chart behind him remains unsettled.
Before Driedger arrived, Nikita Tolopilo looked like the likeliest option to open the year as Lankinen’s backup. Vancouver used Tolopilo in stretches after Demko’s 2025-26 season ended early because of injury, but the results were rough: a 6-11-2 record in 21 games, with a .881 SV% and 3.61 GAA.
Now Tolopilo will have to battle for the job rather than inherit it. Driedger’s release from the PTO means the Canucks still have a competition on their hands for the backup spot, even if they ultimately decide Tolopilo is the man for it.
In Other News...
Canucks Opening Night Roster Comes With Two Surprises And One Concern
The Canucks opening-night roster for the 2026-27 season came into focus with a few notable twists, as the club carries 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders into its road opener against the Edmonton Oilers. There is some good news in the group for players who earned their spots with strong preseason showings, including Arshdeep Bains and Guillaume Brisebois, but the list also reflects the reality that roster construction in late October is rarely clean.
Filip Chytil and Thatcher Demko are among the players set to begin the season on injured reserve, leaving Vancouver to sort out the early-season picture without two important names in the lineup. For a team trying to set its tone right away on the road, the shape of the roster is encouraging in some places and a little uneasy in others, and the next question is how long the Canucks will have to manage that uneven mix before everyone is available again. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Goalie Squeeze Just Made Opening Night Much Clearer
Nikita Tolopilo cleared NHL waivers and is headed to the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, a move that fits into a suddenly cleaner picture in Vancouver's crease. The Canucks' waiver claim of Leevi Merilinen from the Ottawa Senators changed the math quickly, especially with Kevin Lankinen already lined up as part of the NHL tandem and Thatcher Demko expected to begin the season on injured reserve.
Merilinen's arrival leaves the Canucks with a clearer opening-night plan than they had not long ago, and it comes at Tolopilo's expense after a brief push for a roster spot. For Vancouver, the bigger question now is how the newly set goaltending group holds up once the season starts and Demko's status keeps the situation from feeling entirely settled. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face Another Twist In Their Long Search For A Home
The Canucks long-running hunt for a dedicated practice rink has taken another turn, with general manager Ryan Johnson saying the club is still weighing possible new locations. It is the latest chapter in a search that has stretched on for more than 16 years, a reminder that for all the on-ice talk, the organization still has a very real off-ice infrastructure problem to solve.
Recent discussions included a proposal to expand the Britannia Community Centre, but that idea ran into trouble without a new ice sheet in the plan. Co-president Henrik Sedin has stressed the teams desire to help find youth hockey facility solutions in Vancouver, which keeps the broader community angle in focus even as the Canucks continue to sort through their own needs. [Read more 🡒]