There may be no club in the NHL carrying less overall pressure than the Vancouver Canucks, but that doesn’t mean the roster is free of tension. Not with only 23 spots available, and not with several players arriving at camp needing to prove they still fit.
Some of those questions are louder than others. Elias Pettersson’s situation has been hanging over the team for a while now, and Ryan Johnson tried to cool things down at his introductory press conference in May when he said, “We want to wipe away all expectations for him,” Johnson said back in May.
That’s a nice thought, but Pettersson still has plenty to answer for. Whether he’s trying to get moved to a preferred destination or trying to shake the burden of one of the worst contracts in Canucks history, the path forward is simple: he has to play a lot better.
The pressure doesn’t stop with the marquee name. Victor Mancini is another player who enters the season with his standing very much up for grabs.
After a solid debut with Vancouver in 2024-25 and a strong run with Abbotsford during its Calder Cup push, he looked like a player ready for regular NHL minutes. Instead, last season was marked by shaky, often disorganized work in his own end.
Now the Canucks have to figure out whether that was a coaching issue under Adam Foote or whether Mancini simply isn’t ready yet. At 24, they’re hoping it’s not the latter.
He appears to be battling Luke Schenn for a spot on opening night, with Jack Thompson also a possible challenger if he turns heads in camp.
Another Pettersson is in the mix too, and his spot is far from secure. Defenceman Elias Pettersson has tools this team doesn’t get from many of its blue-liners: he can skate, and he can throw a heavy hit.
But if he wants to be more than a depth option, the defensive details have to improve. Kirill Kudryavtsev’s rise adds more heat here; he may not have the same flash, but he’s more polished defensively.
And with Pettersson still waiver-exempt, the Canucks have the option to send him down if they decide that’s the move.
Kevin Lankinen is in a similarly uncomfortable place after a rough 2025-26 season. His play fell off sharply, and while Vancouver’s ugly defensive structure and some off-ice personal issues were part of the story, the numbers still matter.
Nikita Tolopilo outperformed him last season, and if that trend continues while Thatcher Demko is back in the picture, the goaltending depth chart could get messy fast. Lankinen can clear that up with a bounce-back year, and at 32, he’ll want to do exactly that.
Aatu Räty’s challenge is different, but no less real. With Filip Chytil now reportedly healthy, Räty looks set to open camp as the Canucks’ fourth-line centre again.
That’s not exactly a cushy spot, especially with young talent closing in. Braeden Cootes beat him out at last year’s camp, and Caleb Malhotra could be in the conversation by this time next year.
Räty’s work ethic gives the Canucks reasons to believe he can be a useful NHL player, but belief only goes so far. He has to show it soon.
Jake DeBrusk also lands on this list, even with five years left on a deal that pays him $5.5 million per season. He’s got security, sure, but he also hinted he wasn’t signing up for a rebuild, which makes it a little surprising he’s still here when camp opens.
If a trade is on his mind, he’ll need to bring more at even strength. The shooting luck wasn’t kind, but he didn’t look dangerous enough last season, outside of cleaning up rebound chances on the power play.
Then there’s Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who somehow is already entering his fifth season since being drafted by the Canucks in 2022. Injuries were a big reason his 2025-26 season was so quiet, but even in limited NHL looks, he hasn’t yet looked especially dangerous or effective.
With Lekkerimäki becoming waiver-eligible next season, Vancouver needs a clearer answer on what he is. The 22-year-old now has to prove he can stick.
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