It’s a Canucks game day again, and that means a fresh look at the morning skate for Vancouver’s 2026-27 opener against the Seattle Kraken.
The lineup the Canucks skated suggested a mix of young talent and familiar names, with Tolopilo getting the start in net and Medvedev backing him up. Up front, the group was arranged as Bains-Cootes-Lekkerimäki, Novotny-Safonov-Fix-Wolansky, Sasson-Räty-Pattersson, and Alriksson-Wouters-Stienburg. On the blue line, Vancouver had DPetey-Mancini, Brisebois-Kudryavtsev, and Mynio-Schuldt.
The power-play groups were out there too. PP1 featured Bains-Cootes-Alriksson-Kudryavtsev-Lekkerimäki, while PP2 was Novotny-Fix Wolansky-Sasson-Steinburg-Mynio.
Puck drop is set for shortly after 6 PM Pacific Time from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The game is available via video stream at canucks.com, with Brendan Batchelor and Randip Janda on the call. It can also be heard on KISS Radio 104.9 FM, with Abbotsford on 92.5 FM and Chilliwack on 107.5 FM.
Before the players hit the ice, head coach Manny Malhotra met with the media and kept the focus on the basics. He said the group is being asked to lean into the habits the staff has stressed from the start.
“We’ve talked about it from day one, just talking about our foundational habits. We recognize that it’s not going to look like a polished version of our team, but we’re looking for the details that we’ve discussed: the intensity in winning puck battles, positionally being in the right spots.
We want to make sure they’re picking up on those things, and then ultimately it’s how hard they compete. I think the messaging being: we all know how short training camp is.
The opportunity to get into a game is an opportunity to prove yourself, so just look to make the most of that opportunity.”
Malhotra also had praise for Aatu Räty, pointing to the details in his game and the way he has handled the demands of practice.
“For everybody, again, the messaging is the details within your game and the habits. He obviously knows how our practices are run and knows my expectations, so he’s been real sharp in his details.
So the messaging for him is the continued expectations of making sure we’re getting better. And we harp on those and execute on those details daily.”
Braeden Cootes drew similar attention from the coach. Malhotra said the forward has taken a noticeable step and is showing more confidence.
“He’s done a good job of showing what he’s capable of doing. We’ve talked about how big a difference a year can make.
He’s much stronger on his feet, he’s much more confident with the puck, and he’s made some really good plays. But again, coming back to those detailed things, his ability to get stick on puck and get through hands and execute on the details that we’ve talked about through our meetings is impressive; he’s able to implement them right away.
But overall, his play on the ice, he’s shown his intelligence; he’s shown what he’s capable of doing.”
And yes, Malhotra was also asked about yelling “attack” in practice. His answer kept it simple.
“Oh, it’s, you know, it’s kind of Hockey 101. You don’t want to see players coasting in the offensive zone. You want to get pucks and bodies to the net as quick as possible.”
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