The Vancouver Canucks have a real choice to make with Braeden Cootes as the 2026-27 season approaches, and the cleaner path right now looks like Abbotsford.
Cootes, a 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alberta, signed a three-year, $3.02 million entry-level contract in July 2025. His annual average value is $974,167 per season if he’s in the NHL, or $85,000 in the American Hockey League.
Some outlets have already slotted him in as Vancouver’s fourth-line center. Others have him starting the year in the AHL.
With only three NHL games on his résumé, the question is whether the Canucks should rush him into the big club or let him keep building elsewhere.
The answer, based on the current roster picture, points toward the AHL. Vancouver’s center group heading into 2026-27 includes Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi, Aatu Raty, and Filip Chytil.
That leaves little room for Cootes to play meaningful minutes in the NHL, and for a rebuilding team, that matters. If he’s going to be in the bottom six and seeing limited ice time, that’s not the best use of a 19-year-old who needs reps.
Cootes showed plenty of production last season. He scored 10 goals and finished with 23 points in 17 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League before a trade sent him to the Prince Albert Raiders, where he added 14 goals and 40 points in 28 games.
In the playoffs, he posted seven goals and 23 points in 20 games. He also got those three NHL games with Vancouver, though he didn’t record a point.
The talent is obvious. The age is obvious too.
At 19, with just three professional games under his belt, Cootes is still better served by regular minutes than by trying to force his way into a crowded NHL center rotation. His entry-level contract runs through the end of the 2028-29 season, when he’ll be 22 and a restricted free agent.
That timeline gives the Canucks room to be patient. Starting him in Abbotsford would give him a full season against professional competition, let him adjust to the pace more consistently, and keep the door open for a call-up later if the NHL team’s situation changes. For now, the best move is straightforward: begin the 2026-27 season in the AHL.
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