Two days after trimming their camp group for the first time, the Vancouver Canucks sent 15 more players off the NHL roster, including three who were placed on waivers.
Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov, Chase Wouters, Kirill Kudryavtsev, and Sawyer Mynio were assigned to AHL Abbotsford. Ben Berard and Isaac Belliveau were released from their PTOs and will report to Abbotsford as well.
Trey Fix-Wolansky, Cole Clayton, and Jimmy Schuldt were placed on waivers for AHL assignment. Vancouver also moved four prospects to their junior teams: Yaroslav Bryzgalov to the Medicine Hat Tigers, Adam Novotný to the Peteborough Petes, Brooks Rogowski to the Oshawa Generals, and Aleksei Medvedev to the London Knights.
After those cuts, 31 players are still in camp on the NHL side: 18 forwards, nine defencemen, and four goaltenders.
The forward group now includes Arshdeep Bains, Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil, Braeden Cootes, Paul Cotter, Jake DeBrusk, Brendan Gallagher, Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Mackenzie MacEachern, Drew O’Connor, Liam Öhgren, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Marco Rossi, Max Sasson, Matthew Steinburg, and Akil Thomas.
On the blue line, the remaining names are Guillaume Brisebois, Zeev Buium, Filip Hronek, Victor Mancini, Jamie Oleksiak, Elias Pettersson, Luke Schenn, Jack Thompson, and Tom Willander.
In goal, the Canucks still have Thatcher Demko, Chris Driedger, Kevin Lankinen, and Nikita Tolopilo.
MacEachern, Thomas, Thompson, and Demko did not skate with the main group at camp because of injuries, and the team is not expecting them to play in preseason action. That leaves 16 forwards, eight defencemen, and three goaltenders competing for the 23 opening-night spots.
Among the names still hanging around, Bains, Cootes, Lekkerimäki, and Steinburg are the ones drawing attention up front, while Mancini stands out on defence. Bains and Cootes have clicked in their two preseason games, with the pair accounting for the primary points on all three of Vancouver’s exhibition goals.
Lekkerimäki picked up two assists, both secondary, in his only preseason appearance while skating with that group. Steinburg has also made his case with an aggressive edge.
Mancini staying put while Kudryavtsev was part of this latest cut strongly points to him having the inside track on the seventh defenceman job for opening night.
In Other News...
Aatu Rtys Preseason Usage Just Raised A Real Canucks Question
Aatu Rtys preseason has already turned into a small but telling roster note for the Canucks. Under the new NHL CBA rules, veterans are limited to two preseason appearances, and Rty has hit that mark after his second game, which means he will not be available for Vancouvers final two exhibition outings.
For a player trying to carve out a clearer place in the teams plans, the timing matters. Rtys usage doesnt settle anything on its own, but it does add another layer to the question of where he stands heading into the season and how the Canucks view him as they get down to the final preseason decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Young Lineup Showed One Frustrating Problem Against Calgary
The Canucks took a younger lineup into their preseason meeting with Calgary and spent most of the night chasing the puck rather than dictating play. Vancouver fell 3-1, managed only 10 shots on goal and leaned heavily on Kevin Lankinen, who stopped 28 of the 31 Flames attempts to keep the score from getting out of hand.
Arshdeep Bains provided the lone goal for Vancouver, but the bigger concern was how little sustained offense the group generated once the penalties started piling up and the game lost its rhythm. For a roster trying to sort out depth roles and make impressions early, the lack of pressure at five-on-five was the kind of issue that tends to linger after preseason nights like this. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Depth Battle Is Starting To Take Shape Before Calgary Rematch
The Canucks are closing out a shortened preseason with dress rehearsals that lean heavily on veteran players, a clear sign the staff is trying to get a cleaner look at what the opening-night group might actually be. A recent game against the Calgary Flames featured a much younger lineup, and the results were the sort that tend to sharpen the conversation around roster spots rather than settle it. The young group was outshot and outscored, which only adds to the sense that these final exhibition games are more about sorting roles than chasing wins.
Braeden Cootes and Aatu Raty are among the players still trying to make their case, with the evaluation centered on more than just points or a single strong shift. The Canucks are weighing how each player reads the game, how much hockey IQ they bring, and where they fit in once the regular season starts. With Calgary back on the schedule in this preseason stretch, the next look should tell a little more about who is moving closer to a spot and who still has work left to do. [Read more 🡒]