The Canucks are back in Calgary tonight for their second and final road preseason game, and after opening with a loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, they’re rolling out another lineup heavy on youth against the Flames.
There’s plenty to watch in this one, starting with Adam Novotný. This will be his second preseason appearance, and the setup around him changes quite a bit from Game 1.
He skated with the defensive-minded Ilya Safonov last time, a combination that didn’t exactly free him up offensively. That trio was held off the scoresheet, with Trey Fix-Wolansky the only one from the line to record shots on goal.
Tonight, Novotný gets a different look on the left side with Braeden Cootes and Fix-Wolansky. Cootes stood out as Vancouver’s best forward against Seattle, while Fix-Wolansky has been the name of camp. With this possibly Novotný’s final preseason game, he’ll have a chance to leave a stronger offensive impression.
Aatu Räty is in a similar spot, but with even more on the line. His preseason opener was quiet: minus-one, no shots on goal, and the game’s first penalty after he tripped Tyson Jugnauth.
Still, he was strong on faceoffs, winning 66.7% of his draws. Tonight is his last preseason game before the regular season, so this is his final shot to make a case for an opening-night roster spot.
He’ll center Arshdeep Bains and Matthew Stienburg.
Brooks Rogowski is another player worth a close look. He’s making his Canucks debut and will line up on the wing with Ilya Safonov and Ty Mueller. He’s expected to head back to the OHL this season, but this is a chance to see how his size plays against NHL-calibre competition.
Tom Willander is also set for his preseason debut, and his game is one of the more interesting storylines tonight. The Swedish defenceman had a solid rookie season last year, though he may have been asked to handle more than he was fully ready for. After a full offseason of work, this is the first chance to see how that training and conditioning show up in game action, especially with him working as the top defenceman against a Flames group that is close to full strength.
Then there’s the Victor Mancini and Kirill Kudryavtsev battle, which still looks very much undecided. Both are fighting for the seventh defenceman job, and the picture hasn’t gotten much clearer since Saturday.
Mancini struggled through camp and had an underwhelming preseason Game 1. Kudryavtsev, by contrast, has kept doing what he does: steady, unspectacular hockey that has already earned him a handful of NHL games over the past two seasons.
The contract situation gives Mancini the edge on paper, since he’s on a one-way deal worth $1 million, while Kudryavtsev would make just $80K if sent to the American League. But the Russian defender still has a real opening if he can clearly outperform the competition, and tonight gives him that chance. He’s paired with Cole Clayton, while Mancini skates alongside Jimmy Schuldt.
In Other News...
Canucks Just Sent Fans Another Message About This Team Reset
The message outside Rogers Arena has changed, and for a fan base that has spent plenty of time reading between the lines, it feels like another small but meaningful sign of where the Canucks are headed. The new Van as one slogan has appeared in place of the old All together, all in, and it fits the broader effort under new management to reshape the teams culture and reset the tone around the organization.
What makes the shift interesting is how visible it is in one place and how absent it remains in another. The Canucks have put the phrase on display outside the building, but have not yet rolled it out on the teams official website or social media, leaving the full scope of the branding change still unfolding. For now, it reads like a carefully chosen message about identity, one the club is letting fans see before it is ready to say everything else out loud. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Roster Battle Gets More Interesting Against Calgary
The preseason grind takes another step Wednesday night in Calgary, where the Canucks meet the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome with puck drop set for 6 p.m. PT. Both clubs are coming off losses to the Seattle Kraken, and Vancouver is expected to ice a young lineup that should give the roster battle a little more clarity as camp moves along.
Several players will be getting their first preseason looks, which makes this one more than just a tune-up. It will also be on Sportsnet One, with John Shorthouse and Dave Tomlinson on the call, so there will be a little extra spotlight on a game that can help shape the picture of who is pushing for what in Vancouver. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Hand Prospects An Early Chance To Force Tough Decisions
The Canucks are leaning hard into the kind of preseason night that can tell a lot about a rebuild, especially with a young lineup expected in Calgary and only limited veteran presence around them. Against a Flames group projected to be more experienced, Vancouvers prospects should get a real chance to show whether they can handle faster reads, heavier minutes and the little details that usually decide whether a player stays in the conversation once the games start counting.
For the Canucks, this kind of matchup is less about the final score than about sorting through possibility. The projected lines point to a roster with prospects in prominent spots and a few positional experiments mixed in, which means the staff will be watching closely for chemistry, pace and whether anyone forces a harder look in camp. In a season where development matters just as much as standings, these are the kinds of games that can quietly shape some difficult decisions. [Read more 🡒]