The Vancouver Canucks are heading into the 2026-27 season with a very different kind of problem: space.
Vancouver’s first preseason game is Saturday, and training camp opens in Penticton on Thursday, but the bigger story right now is what the roster and cap picture could look like when the season begins. After years of being squeezed near the ceiling, the Canucks are projected to enter this year with one of the healthier cap situations in the league.
The key variable is Thatcher Demko. If he is not ready to open the season, Ryan Johnson has a couple of options, but the most practical one would be to place him on IR.
That would keep the 30-year-old off the active roster, though it would not matter much from a cap-management standpoint unless Vancouver were already tight against the ceiling. LTIR would only become useful if the Canucks needed the relief.
If Demko starts the year on IR, Vancouver would be able to carry three extra skaters. The most likely mix would be two forwards and one defenceman, giving the club some flexibility to sort through its opening-night group.
A projected defensive group would feature Filip Hronek at $7.25 million, Jamie Oleksiak at $5 million, Luke Schenn at $2.25 million, Victor Mancini at $1 million, Tom Willander at $972,500, Zeev Buium at $966,667 and Elias Pettersson at $913,333.
In goal, Demko would sit on IR at $8.5 million, while Kevin Lankinen would come in at $4.5 million and Nikita Tolopilo at $850,000.
With that setup, PuckPedia projects Vancouver’s cap hit at $87,035,833 on opening night, which would leave the Canucks with $16,964,167 in available space. The club also has only two retention spots left, with the third already tied up in the Tyler Myers trade.
That kind of breathing room changes the conversation. Instead of worrying about squeezing every dollar, the Canucks could actually use their space as a weapon, including the possibility of taking on unwanted contracts if the right deal shows up. And with the league’s salary cap expected to keep climbing year after year, Vancouver may not be staring at the ceiling again anytime soon.
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For a group of prospects expected to be in camp, that approach changes the stakes. If a young player earns a promotion, Johnson believes he should stay put so the development path is protected, which means the openings in camp are not just for a temporary look. For prospects trying to turn a strong showing into something more lasting, the message is simple enough: make the team now, and the Canucks may be willing to keep you there. [Read more 🡒]
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Dodd is set to begin with the preseason game on Sept. 22 and the regular-season opener on Sept. 29, while other co-hosts will handle the remaining broadcasts. The show will continue to be offered as both a livestream and a podcast, keeping the postgame conversation easy to find no matter how fans prefer to follow along. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Suddenly Face A Bigger Thatcher Demko Question At Camp
Thatcher Demkos camp availability is already shaping up to be one of the Canucks first real storylines of the preseason. General manager Ryan Johnson said the goaltender will not be fully participating this week as he continues to recover from hip surgery, even though he is still skating and working out on his own in Penticton. For a team that has leaned on Demko as a foundational piece, any update on his health naturally draws attention, especially when the calendar flips to camp and the first signs of the season start coming into focus.
Johnson framed the situation as a matter of patience and support, stressing that the organization wants Demkos recovery handled properly and noting his determination to get back as part of Vancouvers future. The important part for the Canucks is that this is not a setback in effort or intent, but it does leave one of their biggest questions hanging over the week as the rest of the roster settles into full camp work. [Read more 🡒]