The Vancouver Canucks open the regular season tonight in Edmonton, and this one feels less like a carryover from last year than a clean break from it.
That’s not a small thing after a season that went sideways fast. Vancouver finished eighth in the Pacific Division at 25-49-8, and the overhaul since then has been bigger than a few roster tweaks.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin now oversee hockey operations, Ryan Johnson is the general manager, and Manny Malhotra is running the bench. The club has also brought in veterans Brendan Gallagher, Luke Schenn and Jamie Oleksiak, a clear signal that the Canucks want more experience around a group that still needs room for younger players to grow.
The challenge is obvious: this isn’t a finished team, and nobody in Vancouver is pretending otherwise. Thatcher Demko won’t be in goal to start the season.
He’s on injured reserve after hip surgery, and the organization has not given a timetable for his return. For now, Kevin Lankinen gets the crease.
Even with that setback, there’s enough talent on the roster to make tonight worth watching for more than the final score. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk give the Canucks established NHL scoring punch, while Zeev Buium and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are part of the next wave that needs to keep moving forward. The opening-night group also includes Tom Willander, Aatu Räty, Marco Rossi and Max Sasson.
That’s where Malhotra’s influence becomes such a central part of the story. Vancouver isn’t just trying to stack wins right away.
The bigger job is to build habits, set standards and create an identity that can hold up over time. Malhotra has already framed that distinction clearly: there’s a difference between losing games and playing losing hockey.
For this group, that’s the starting point.
The veterans were added with that in mind. Gallagher, Schenn and Oleksiak are expected to help show what professional habits look like while the younger players continue to develop. If that takes hold, the Canucks can spend this season laying down a foundation instead of obsessing over the standings.
There’s also plenty for fans to track away from the NHL roster. One of the most intriguing young players in the system is back in Peterborough, and Adam Novotny wasted no time making noise after returning from Vancouver’s training camp. He scored twice and added two assists in his first game against Sarnia, then followed that up with another goal and an assist against Ottawa.
That left him with six points in three games, all three assists primary, plus 18 shots on goal. It was enough to earn OHL Player of the Week honors.
Novotny’s fast start will get attention, but Vancouver has the luxury of patience here. He’s only 18, and Peterborough gives him the chance to play heavy minutes, handle the puck, make mistakes and learn from them.
He also arrives with international experience already on his resume, having won bronze at the 2025 World Juniors and silver in 2026. The Canucks can let him grow instead of asking him to carry anything he’s not ready for.
Tonight’s matchup with Edmonton should offer an early read on where this team stands. The Oilers are a difficult opening-night opponent, and Vancouver is not entering the season as a Stanley Cup contender. What matters more is whether the Canucks look structured, competitive and connected.
For now, the reset is the story. Demko will come back later.
The Sedins and Johnson have time to shape the organization. The young players have space to develop.
And tonight in Edmonton, the Canucks finally get their first real look at what this new beginning actually looks like.
In Other News...
Canucks Send A Clear Leadership Message With Unusual Captaincy Call
The Canucks are taking an unusual route with their leadership group this season, opting not to name a captain at all while spreading the alternate captain duties across six players. Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Zeev Buium will wear the "A" on the road, while Filip Hronek, Linus Karlsson and Drew OConnor will handle those responsibilities at home, giving the team a rotating set of voices depending on where it is playing.
It is a clear message from management about shared accountability, but it also leaves a familiar question hanging over the room: who, if anyone, will eventually emerge as the singular face of the leadership group? For now, the Canucks are choosing breadth over hierarchy, and that decision says plenty about how they want this season to feel from the inside out. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Opening Win Already Put One Lineup Decision Under Scrutiny
The Canucks opening win gave them a useful early cushion in the standings, but it also put a roster choice under the microscope almost immediately. With Thatcher Demko out because of injury, Kevin Lankinen has been asked to steady the crease while the team leans on a defensive approach that has to hold up against elite talent, especially after recent meetings with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl served as another reminder of how quickly things can tilt against Vancouver.
The bigger question now is whether the lineup the Canucks used in that opener will stay intact, or whether one of the more interesting decisions from game one will get revisited sooner rather than later. Aatu Raty being made a healthy scratch stood out because of how well he has handled faceoffs, and with Marco Rossi back to full health and making his presence felt elsewhere, Vancouvers choices down the middle are already drawing attention at a point in the season when every early decision can shape the next few weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Clear Message With Their New Leadership Group
The Canucks have settled on a new leadership setup for the 2026-27 NHL season, and it says plenty about the mix they want in the room. Vancouver named six alternate captains, splitting the duties between home and away games, with Filip Hronek, Linus Karlsson and Drew OConnor wearing the letters at home and Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Zeev Buium handling that role on the road.
It is a group that blends established voices with players whose influence has grown in different ways, from veteran presence to emerging responsibility. OConnors place in the group is especially notable given his contract situation, while the split design itself hints at a team looking for flexibility in how it manages leadership day to day. The bigger question now is how this arrangement will look once the games start and the Canucks have to turn a carefully chosen hierarchy into actual results. [Read more 🡒]