The Vancouver Canucks are set to dress a younger lineup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, with Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn expected to watch from the press box.
That part isn’t much of a surprise. The two veteran additions were brought in to help steady a rebuilding group, not to take up permanent spots in the lineup. Their value has been about presence, experience, and keeping the culture moving in the right direction while younger players get their chances.
Even so, both veterans have turned in odd stat lines through the early part of the season.
Schenn is the only Canuck who hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against this year. He’s logged just under 50 minutes, including nearly seven minutes on the penalty kill, and Vancouver has actually outscored opponents 1-0 with him out there shorthanded. At five-on-five, the Canucks have also outshot opponents with Schenn on the ice, and he leads the team in Corsi percentage, with shot attempts 41-35 in Vancouver’s favour.
The downside has been mobility. Schenn has already been whistled for two interference penalties after getting caught flat-footed.
Gallagher’s empty line looks different. He’s the only Canucks forward without a point, and he’s also the only player who hasn’t been on the ice for a Vancouver goal in any situation.
That said, the Canucks have spread the scoring around through four games, so his lack of production is more a reflection of how many players have chipped in than any major indictment. For a fourth-liner, going four games without a point is hardly unusual.
He, too, has shown some lack of foot speed, which makes Thursday’s matchup with Carolina a tough spot for him. The same goes for Schenn. Their work off the ice has mattered more than anything showing up in the box score.
With those two out, Vancouver’s projected lineup is expected to look like this:
Jake DeBrusk - Elias Pettersson - Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Paul Cotter - Marco Rossi - Brock Boeser
Liam Öhgren - Max Sasson - Linus Karlsson
Arshdeep Bains - Aatu Räty - Drew O’Connor
Zeev Buium - Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak - Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson - Victor Mancini
Kevin Lankinen
Leevi Meriläinen
Aatu Räty had originally appeared to be the likely scratch when the Canucks first worked with their new combinations before the road trip, with Drew O’Connor in at centre. Gallagher’s absence now opens the door for Räty to slide back into the fourth-line middle spot.
Victor Mancini is also expected to make his season debut. He didn’t have a strong camp or preseason, but the Canucks still see the skating and size that could make him a useful piece on the blue line. It’s an important year for him to show he belongs.
Kevin Lankinen is expected to start in goal for Vancouver.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, arrive with a dangerous lineup and the kind of talent that can make life miserable if a team slips for even a few minutes. Carolina opened the season with an overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in its home opener, followed by a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals and an overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. They’re coming off a 6-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, and they still look very much like a Cup-contending team.
Carolina’s projected lineup:
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - William Carrier
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
Eric Robinson - Mark Jankowski - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Mike Reilly
Pyotr Kochetkov
Brandon Bussi
Sebastian Aho has been Carolina’s most dangerous player to start the year, piling up four goals and seven points in four games. Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start in net, making his second appearance of the season after allowing two goals on 18 shots against the Flyers.
In Other News...
Canucks Already Face Aatu Rty Decision As Victor Mancini Waits
The Canucks are still sorting through their early-season lineup choices, and Aatu Rty has already found himself on the wrong side of that equation more than once. The young forward has seen limited usage while the coaching staff continues to tinker based on performance and opponent matchups, a reminder that even in October the bottom of the roster can change quickly when a team is trying to settle into a rhythm.
Victor Mancini, meanwhile, looks like the next player in line to get a look after spending time as a healthy scratch. Vancouver is clearly weighing which pieces best fit its current needs, and those decisions could shift again soon as reinforcements return and the lineup gets a little tighter. For Rty, that means the margin for error remains slim, while Mancini waits for his chance to make a case. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit The Hglander Trade
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For Vancouver, the deal was built around a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft, a return that was always going to be judged over time. But when a player moved for future value starts producing immediately in a new sweater, it naturally invites second-guessing, especially for a Canucks team that could have used more finish from the winger spot. The early returns in Nashville are small in sample size, but they have been loud enough to keep the conversation alive. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face One Road Problem Fans Know Too Well
The Canucks issues away from home were hard to miss last season, and the numbers painted a frustrating picture for a team that expected more on the road. Vancouvers power play still managed to click at a respectable 24 percent away from Rogers Arena, but the overall results never followed, leaving the club searching for consistency whenever it left home ice.
Vancouver now gets an early chance to start changing that story. The first long road trip of the 2026-27 season begins Oct. 8, with stops against teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, a stretch that should quickly show whether the Canucks have actually solved one of the problems fans know far too well. [Read more 🡒]