Over those final 25 contests, the Canucks converted on 19 of their 58 power play opportunities, and their remarkable 32.8% conversion rate trailed the Canes by exactly one percent.<\/p>\n
So based on that evidence, it\u2019s probably safe to assume that Manny Malhotra and his coaching staff will borrow from one of the few elements that actually worked for the Canucks last season.<\/a> Over the final third of the season, the Canucks rolled with Elias Pettersson on the right half wall,<\/a> Marco Rossi on the left flank, Filip Hronek at the top with Brock Boeser in the bumper and Jake DeBrusk causing havoc at the net front. When it comes to the power play, it would seem the Canucks ought to buy into the \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke don\u2019t fix it\u2019 approach. Every member of that top unit cashed in at least once down the stretch, led by DeBrusk with eight goals and Boeser with four. As it stands at the moment, all five of the players mentioned will be back with the team to start the season and, as such, should be rolled out at the team\u2019s first power play unit.It\u2019s the second unit where things get a little more intriguing. Down the stretch, the Canucks went with youngsters Zeev Buium<\/a> and Tom Willander at the points, and primarily used a combination of forwards, including Conor Garland, Evander Kane, Drew O\u2019Connor, and Linus Karlsson,<\/a> with a splash of ice time for Liam \u00d6hgren and Nils H\u00f6glander.<\/p>\n Considering the offseason roster churn, Malhotra will have decisions to make with his second unit. <\/p>\n First off, he\u2019ll have to determine whether he wants to run the two young defenders out in tandem or whether he wants to allow Buium to spread his wings and run his own grouping with an eye to the future of the hockey club. If the Canucks opt for a two-defender set, then their forward options are likely Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerim\u00e4ki and perhaps Filip Chytil with \u00d6hgren, O\u2019Connor or maybe even Aatu R\u00e4ty in the mix. If they elect to go with just one defender, then it\u2019s likely Karlsson at the net front, Lekkerim\u00e4ki on one half wall, perhaps Chytil on the other and either \u00d6hgren or R\u00e4ty in the bumper. Of course, 17-goal Drew O\u2019Connor would likely want to be in the discussion, as would veteran Brendan Gallagher, who twice netted eight goals with the man advantage in Montreal.<\/p>\n On a rebuilding team, it seems like priority should be given to the likes of Lekkerim\u00e4ki, \u00d6hgren, and R\u00e4ty. But if the Canucks are trying to boost the trade value of O\u2019Connor \u2013 or perhaps even Chytil \u2013 then maybe those two should be given stronger consideration.<\/p>\n Ultimately, if the Canucks\u2019 first unit produces at anything close to the rate it finished last season, it really won\u2019t matter who is on the second unit. Then again, if the Canucks trade Jake DeBrusk or Elias Pettersson, then the power play groups are anybody\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n What do you think, Canucks fans? Who do you want to see operating the Canucks\u2019 power play units in 2026-27? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n PRESENTED BY NATION GEAR![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786302745_935_image.webp\"\/)
<\/a>THE OFFSEASON SOCIAL CLUB HAS ARRIVED!<\/a> The new era of Nation Gear starts here. Introducing the Nation Gear x Levelwear Offseason Social Club Collection \u2014 a limited edition collection built for the fans who know the sports lifestyle doesn\u2019t stop. Designed for golf rounds, patio hangs, weekend trips, and every plan in between, this collection blends premium performance with everyday leisure. It\u2019s versatile enough to dress up, comfortable enough to live in, and made for wherever the offseason takes you. Because being a sports fan isn\u2019t a season \u2014 it\u2019s a personality. Welcome to the club. Shop the Offseason Social Club now. nationgear.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"31 days, 31 questions: What are the Canucks\u2019 optimal power play units next season? Welcome to a new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852126,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-852125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}