Guillaume Brisebois is still in the fight for a spot with the Vancouver Canucks, and this time the conversation is about health first.
After appearing in just nine games last season, the 29-year-old defenceman has spent this preseason trying to do something injuries have repeatedly interrupted during his NHL climb: stay on the ice long enough to make a real push for the opening-night roster. Through camp, he’s looked strong enough to keep his name in the mix as Vancouver continues trimming its roster.
Brisebois has been part of the organization since the Canucks drafted him in 2015, but the road since then has been anything but smooth. Injuries have slowed his progress over and over, and even now, more than a decade after being selected, he’s still chasing the same goal - proving he can stick at the NHL level.
“I approach it pretty much the same way,” said Brisebois. I want to make the team and just trying to work hard and keep going.
I've had some injuries. I've been battling some stuff.
So feels good coming into this camp being healthy. So I don't have to really think about that anymore."
For Brisebois, the motivation goes beyond a roster battle. He says the game itself keeps pulling him back, even after all the setbacks.
"It's been really hard. But at the same time, it's my passion for hockey.
I love hockey, and I want to get better. So every time I come back from injury, that's what I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to get better, and I try to persevere through it."
That support system has mattered too, especially in Vancouver. Brisebois pointed to the way the organization has stood by him through the toughest stretches, including Ryan Johnson, whom he has known for the past 10 years.
"Just the way they treat me and the way they've been treating me, especially through injuries. They've been there through those tough times.
With Ryan Johnson also, I've been with him for the past 10 years that I've been here. We've had a really good relationship, and that's what keeps bringing me back.
They help me get to the player I am and also the person, so I am really grateful for that."
If Brisebois is going to carve out a place on the NHL roster, he’ll have to make an impression on Johnson and on Manny Malhotra, his former Abbotsford Canucks coach. The two worked together in the AHL and were part of the group that won the 2025 Calder Cup. Brisebois had nothing but praise for Malhotra’s impact.
"He brings positivity to the group. He's an amazing leader.
He's a great human. So I think the whole combination of being a good human, being a good like he's got really good hockey knowledge.
So when you mix everything together, it's a really good mix, and especially for that group. I think it's going to be really beneficial."
Brisebois has also become one of the more popular players in the organization, with fans consistently backing him online whether he’s with Vancouver or Abbotsford. He says that support has meant a lot, and it played a part in his decision to sign again.
"I obviously appreciate it. I am very grateful for that, and I'm happy that they're behind me.
It helps a lot. Especially through tough times, when they could say some stuff about the injuries and everything.
But they've been really good to me, and everyone's been great in Vancouver. That's also a reason why I wanted to come back and make it through with them and not with another organization."
For Brisebois, the aim is straightforward: he wants "to play games" and wants "to be healthy". Whether he ends up in Vancouver or elsewhere, he’s set up to leave his mark this season.
In Other News...
Canucks Just Sent A Clear Message About Braeden Cootes
The Canucks made another round of roster cuts ahead of the NHL deadline, assigning Braeden Cootes and Matthew Stienburg to Abbotsford as they continue trimming down to the required 23-man limit. For Cootes, the move is especially notable because the 19-year-old rookie is now eligible for the AHL under a new NHL rule that allows players his age to go there instead of being forced back into junior hockey.
Stienburg cleared waivers before heading to the Abbotsford Canucks, giving Vancouver a little more clarity as it sorts through a crowded depth chart. With 14 forwards, eight defensemen and four goaltenders still on the roster, the Canucks are getting closer to the deadline picture, and the decision on Cootes reads like a clear sign the organization wants him developing in a league where he can keep playing meaningful games. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Put New Pressure On Their Goalie Battle
The Canucks added another name to their crease mix by claiming Leevi Merilinen off waivers from the Senators, a move that fits the reality of where Vancouver is right now. With Thatcher Demko still recovering from surgery, the club has been looking for ways to steady its goaltending depth, and Merilinen arrives with both NHL and AHL experience at age 24.
Vancouvers position at the top of the waiver order may not be done mattering, either, since the club still has room to keep reshaping the roster if it sees a fit. For Merilinen, the opportunity is immediate and practical, because a goalie room dealing with uncertainty tends to create openings quickly, and the Canucks have just made their battle a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Goalie Picture Just Got More Complicated Than Expected
The Canucks have added another layer to their goaltending plan by claiming Leevi Merilainen off waivers from the Ottawa Senators, a move that comes as Vancouver continues working through injuries at the position. Merilainen, who signed a one-year deal with Ottawa earlier this summer, arrives with a chance to step into a more meaningful role than he had with the Senators.
For a team that has already spent too much time piecing together its crease, the addition is less about depth in the abstract and more about finding a goalie who can be trusted to handle real minutes. Merilainen is now in the picture for Vancouver, and with an arbitration-eligible restricted free agency decision waiting next July, his time with the Canucks could quickly become one of the more interesting subplots around the roster. [Read more 🡒]