The Vancouver Canucks are being tied to a trio of young forwards as the early part of the 2026-27 season unfolds, with The Fourth Period linking them to Columbus Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov, Washington Capitals forward Ivan Miroshnichenko and Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary.
It’s not hard to see why those names would surface for Vancouver. Each player is still young, each has room to grow, and each could benefit from a fresh start. For a rebuilding club, that kind of profile naturally lands on the radar.
Voronkov is the most immediate name to watch. The 26-year-old winger has already become a talking point as a trade candidate this season after being scratched multiple times by Columbus and managing just two assists in eight games. Even so, his recent body of work suggests there’s still something worth betting on.
Last season, Voronkov put up 17 goals, 32 points and 105 hits for the Blue Jackets. Before that, he posted career bests in 2024-25 with 23 goals, 24 assists and 47 points across 73 games. That’s the kind of production that makes him look like a power forward worth taking a swing on.
Zary’s situation is different, but just as interesting. The Flames placed him on waivers earlier this season, and he’s now in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers. In six AHL games, the 25-year-old has one goal and four points, and he has also picked up one assist in two NHL games this season for Calgary.
His 2025-26 season with the Flames was a step back, ending with 12 goals and 25 points in 74 games. But Zary’s track record is better than that dip suggests.
As a rookie in 2023-24, the 2020 first-round pick set career highs with 14 goals and 34 points in 63 games. He followed that with 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games in 2024-25.
Miroshnichenko rounds out the group as the youngest of the three at 22, though he also has the least NHL mileage. He has appeared in 55 career NHL games for the Capitals and has produced six goals and 14 points.
He still hasn’t locked down a full-time NHL role, but the talent is there. As a 2022 first-round pick, Miroshnichenko still has time to turn that into a bigger opportunity, and the Canucks are being viewed as a team that could provide it.
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What stood out most, though, was how familiar the defensive issues looked once the game opened up. Vancouver spent too much time reacting instead of controlling the pace, and Anaheim kept finding cracks whenever the Canucks seemed close to settling in. The loss fit a pattern fans have seen before, and it came with another reminder that the margin for error on the back end is still awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]