Training camp prep is getting started for the Vancouver Canucks, and the loudest story isn’t just about the young players taking their first real crack at NHL speed. It’s also about Luke Schenn, who is back in Vancouver for a third stint, and about a trade that has quietly circled back on itself after more than two years.
Schenn’s return is not being framed as a big minutes play, and the numbers explain why. He played fewer than 14 minutes a night with Winnipeg last season, finished with seven points in 46 games, and then landed with Buffalo as a depth addition at the deadline. That is not the profile of a 36-year-old the team is counting on to drive results on the ice.
What Vancouver does want from him is the veteran presence he described himself as bringing. Schenn said he can show young defencemen like Zeev Buium and Tom Willander “what it means to be a pro day in and day out.” New GM Ryan Johnson also brought in Schenn and 14-year veteran Brendan Gallagher this summer with the idea of surrounding the Canucks’ young core with professionalism and structure while those kids get real NHL minutes for the first time.
Schenn’s own mindset fits that plan. He said he wants to be pushed by the younger players just as much as he pushes them, which makes this look less like a ceremonial reunion and more like a working arrangement.
The more intriguing twist is what connects Schenn’s latest arrival to the Canucks’ 2023 trade deadline. When his previous Vancouver stint ended in February 2023, he was dealt to Toronto for a 2023 third-round pick.
Vancouver used that pick on Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman Sawyer Mynio, who is now 21 and coming off his rookie AHL season with Abbotsford. Mynio could be in the conversation for NHL minutes with the big club this year.
That creates a neat bit of roster symmetry. The Canucks moved Schenn for a third-rounder, used that selection on Mynio, developed him for more than two years, and now Schenn is back in the building at the same time Mynio may be ready to take the next step. It is even possible the two end up paired together on the blue line, turning a trade return and the player sent away into teammates.
For Vancouver, the bigger picture is clear enough. Schenn and Gallagher are not being asked to carry the team; they are there to help steady a young group that will be leaning on real NHL minutes.
Whether that keeps the rookie mistakes down for Buium and Willander, and whether Mynio forces his way into the lineup, are questions for later. For now, the Canucks are building around a mix of youth and experience that looks exactly like the sort of patient structure a rebuild is supposed to have.
In Other News...
Filip Chytil Just Became A Major Canucks Health Watch
The Canucks kept their third straight offseason summer skate rolling at Rogers Arena with most of the roster on the ice, and Filip Chytil was among the players taking part. For Vancouver, his presence mattered as much for the optics as the workout itself. Chytil has been working through the aftermath of head injuries, and every step he takes this summer will be watched closely by a club that could use him available and confident when the real schedule starts.
Chytil spoke about the recovery process in straightforward terms, stressing the importance of daily progress and the work he is putting in both physically and mentally. He said he is focused on building confidence back up while preparing for training camp and the season ahead, which is the kind of detail Canucks fans will want to hear after a frustrating stretch. The next checkpoint is simple enough, but it is also the one that matters most: whether the offseason work carries over once camp opens and the pace picks up. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Still Stand Between The Canucks And A Much Easier Path
Even after a first-round exit last spring, the Oilers still look like the same kind of obstacle the Canucks would rather avoid if they can. Edmonton finished 41-30-11 and responded by making a coaching change, hiring Mike Babcock while also reshaping the crease with Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi. The top of the roster remains the part that keeps everyone in the Pacific on alert, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still driving the conversation and Zach Hyman expected to be a major part of the mix.
For Vancouver, the bigger issue is not whether Edmonton has flaws, but whether those flaws ever become enough to matter over a full season. The Oilers are still trying to round out their bottom-six scoring and settle the new look in goal, yet they also have the kind of star power that can erase a lot of uncertainty in a hurry. Until the Canucks prove they can create a cleaner path for themselves, Edmonton remains the team standing in the way of an easier route. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Suddenly Have A Filip Chytil Question They Didn't Expect
Filip Chytils first stretch in Vancouver has already been defined as much by disruption as production. Since arriving in January 2025, he has played 27 games for the Canucks, and a run of head and facial injuries has kept him from building any real momentum, including a facial fracture that knocked him out of the lineup during his first full season with the club.
Now skating again in a regular jersey, Chytil says he feels confident about being ready for training camp, which at least gives Vancouver a healthier-looking starting point than it had a few months ago. The bigger question is what his role looks like once camp opens, especially after he acknowledged how difficult the last two years have been and said he wants to earn his place back step by step. [Read more 🡒]