Though it\u2019s been a slower than anticipated offseason of hockey news across the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks have been relatively busy through the dog days of summer.<\/p>\n
Since the free-agent frenzy settled, the Canucks have signed a variety of entry-level deals, executed multiple trades \u2014 sending Dakota Joshua to Toronto, and Art\u016brs \u0160ilovs to Pittsburgh \u2014 and signed Vitali Kravtsov out of the KHL.<\/p>\n
In subtle ways, some of these moves have served to clarify the state of the club\u2019s depth chart heading into training camp. In more evident ways, the holes that remain in Vancouver\u2019s lineup, especially down the middle of their forward group, hint at the work the organization would still like to get done before the 2025-26 hockey season gets formally underway.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s update the club\u2019s active depth chart, take stock of exactly where the Canucks sit and outline the stakes of some of the training camp battles awaiting us in Penticton next month.<\/p>\n
Several options at left wing \u2014 most notably Jake Debrusk, Nils H\u00f6glander and Drew O\u2019Connor \u2014 have the versatility to lineup on either side. (It\u2019s also true of several wingers we\u2019ve listed on the right side, most notably Kiefer Sherwood and Linus Karlsson.)<\/p>\n
Overall, the Canucks are relatively deep on the wings, albeit lacking one more true game-breaking piece at the apex of their lineup. Between DeBrusk, Evander Kane and H\u00f6glander, there\u2019s really no doubt that Vancouver has three top-nine (and probably top-six) calibre, left-handed wingers.<\/p>\n
DeBrusk had a mostly successful first season in Vancouver, although he did most of his damage in the dirty areas of the ice and rarely flashed his dynamic ability to attack off of the rush \u2014 which was more of a structural team-wide issue than something he was responsible for. Despite setting a new career high in goals, there\u2019s a sense that DeBrusk can offer even more in year two.<\/p>\n
Brought in as the club\u2019s signature offseason acquisition, Evander Kane returns to his hometown with significant off-ice question marks. The tough power forward remains a skilled goal scorer and a true heavyweight in the game-within-a-game aspect of hockey. There\u2019s no question he can help this team as an attacking piece and as a heavy, provided he can avoid the probably inevitable circus of playing in Vancouver as a high-profile Vancouver-born player.<\/p>\n
H\u00f6glander is clearly a top-six calibre play-driver and goal scorer, but he\u2019s struggled to maintain that sort of usage under consecutive coaches now. Can he carve out a full-time spot on the second line under Adam Foote? The time is certainly now for the 24-year-old forward.<\/p>\n
Acquired as the secondary piece in the deal that brought Marcus Pettersson to Vancouver, O\u2019Connor did some really good work last season on defense. The quick-skating, big-bodied forward is a conscientious defensive player, but he can be somewhat limited offensively. His lack of finish down the stretch in Vancouver last season had him struggling to punish opposition mistakes.<\/p>\n
Arshdeep Bains is no longer waiver exempt and would seem to have an inside track at earning a roster spot. A reliably diligent worker, this is a big summer \u2014 and a huge training camp \u2014 for Bains to make his case as an NHL-calibre player.<\/p>\n
Towering project Vilmer Alriksson will turn professional this season, and though the jump to the AHL level is a big one, the club has high hopes for him down in Abbotsford this season.<\/p>\n
Vancouver\u2019s depth down the middle will be scrutinized significantly in the months ahead.<\/p>\n
It is, admittedly, a group that lacks in both depth and certainty.<\/p>\n
At his best, Elias Pettersson is a superstar two-way centre. Unfortunately, it\u2019s been about 20 months since we saw the 26-year-old perform to the level he\u2019s capable of, a concerning stretch that dovetails almost exactly with him signing a maximum-term contract carrying an $11.6 million cap hit. Pettersson needs to be the reason the Canucks win games, and while he maintained a respectable defensive level last season, Vancouver needs him to rediscover his previous dynamic, game-breaking form if they\u2019re going to reach their potential this season.<\/p>\n
Filip Chytil has had a healthy summer, which is a massive development. The 6-foot-2, 25-year-old pivot has dealt with repetitive concussion issues throughout his career. His season end prematurely when he sustained a concussion on a hit thrown by Jason Dickinson. If he can stay healthy, Chytil is a dynamic puck carrier through the neutral zone, and while he can struggle to translate those rush opportunities into scoring chances on occasion, he\u2019s a credible middle-six centre option. That is, however, a significant \u201cif.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teddy Blueger does the yeoman\u2019s work teams require from a bottom-six centre. He\u2019s a quality faceoff winner, an exceptional penalty killer and a strong fourth-line option. Despite a stellar run on a line with Conor Garland and Joshua in the back-half of 2023-24, however, Blueger is best used on the fourth line, though he may be counted on to play up the lineup given the state of Vancouver\u2019s centre depth.<\/p>\n
With uncertainty both ahead of and behind him at centre, Aatu R\u00e4ty\u2019s progress may be one of the most critical stories at Canucks training camp. R\u00e4ty demonstrated down the stretch that he\u2019s capable of being an NHL contributor, but can he win his minutes in a third-line role, or is that still too much to ask? Unfortunately, R\u00e4ty picked up an injury during the Calder Cup playoffs, and there was organizational concern earlier in the summer that his injury may prevent him from having the sort of dynamite summer he had last year \u2014 one that launched him to the fringes of contention for a full-time NHL role.<\/p>\n
Max Sasson is a crafty, hard-working forward who has continued to turn heads internally with his speed, grit and overall hockey IQ. Though Sasson isn\u2019t short, he doesn\u2019t have prototypical NHL size or length for a bottom-six centre and has generally been used on the wing at the NHL level. Sasson is waiver exempt this upcoming season, which could complicate his efforts to break camp with the NHL team. Whether he starts at centre or on the wing at camp will be telling in terms of whether the club views him as a potential answer down the middle.<\/p>\n
The club is over the moon about Ty Mueller\u2019s development and progress over the past year, and he\u2019s a genuine dark-horse candidate to watch at training camp. He\u2019s got a lot of believers in the organization.<\/p>\n
Given his inexperience and lack of size, one would expect Braeden Cootes to face a steep uphill climb to contend for an NHL roster spot as an 18-year-old in his draft-plus-one season. He\u2019ll get a serious look at training camp, however, and with a strong camp, he could earn a nine-game NHL look to begin this upcoming season. No one is expecting Cootes or Mueller to be ready, but if one of them is, it would be a game-changer for Vancouver.<\/p>\n
In a surprise move, the Canucks brought Brock Boeser back with an extension after the free-agent frenzy had already begun. A power-play ace with a penchant for clutch goal scoring, Boeser is a locked-in fixture for Vancouver\u2019s top six.<\/p>\n
The same can be said for Garland, who quietly had a breakout season last year. Garland\u2019s behind-the-scenes leadership has been more widely recognized across the last 18 months or so, and he finally found a way to earn top-line minutes for the Canucks.<\/p>\n
No one expected Kiefer Sherwood to set the NHL hits record and flirt with 20 goals in his first Canucks season, but that\u2019s exactly what he did. The high-volume shooter is a high-quality finisher in a bottom-six energy role. The question is, can he find that next level and be one of those hard-working depth wingers who do the dirty work to complement skilled players further up the lineup?<\/p>\n
Linus Karlsson scored some massive goals for Abbotsford on their championship run. Big, reliable, skilled and extraordinarily hard on his stick, Karlsson is only held back by his lack of foot speed. Can he carve out a full-time NHL role as a fourth-line forward and net-front specialist this season?<\/p>\n
Given the club\u2019s overall depth on the wings, Jonathan Lekkerim\u00e4ki is going to be in a tough position to make this team out of training camp. The organization, it seems, is content to let him start this upcoming season in the AHL, although with a player as gifted as Lekkerim\u00e4ki, those plans can be scuttled quickly if he\u2019s put in the work this summer and lights up training camp.<\/p>\n
Never mind being one of the best defensemen on the planet: Quinn Hughes is one of the most impactful skaters outright in the NHL. Between him and Marcus Pettersson, a credible top-pair defenceman in his own right, Vancouver has its best one-two punch on the left side in franchise history.<\/p>\n
Elias Pettersson (the defender) is expected to contribute for Vancouver right out of the gate. In fact, even though Vancouver brought back Derek Forbort, Pettersson will enter camp with an inside track to dress in their opening-night lineup. That Pettersson and Forbort can both capably play the right side is worth noting.<\/p>\n
Pierre-Olivier Joseph is a depth puck mover on a one-way contract. Joseph can also play the right side, and his presence gives the Canucks flexibility to take it slow with the likes of Tom Willander and Victor Mancini at camp.<\/p>\n
Shorter left-handed defenders who aren\u2019t power-play aces are a rare player type in the NHL, but Kirill Kudryavtsev\u2019s overall defensive intelligence gives him a real shot to beat the odds. The organization is enamoured with Kudryavtsev, and even though the deck is stacked against him making this team out of training camp next month, I\u2019d expect that we\u2019ll see him play a real run of NHL games this season.<\/p>\n
Vancouver only has a few full-time right-handed defensemen, although a wide variety of their left-handed blueliners \u2014 including Pettersson, Forbort, Joseph, Kudryavtsev and Guillaume Brisebois \u2014 have significant experience filling in on the right side.<\/p>\n
In other words, don\u2019t be confused by the lack of names on this list, Vancouver isn\u2019t lacking right-side defensive depth to any sort of concerning level as training camp approaches.<\/p>\n
On the right side, Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers are known quantities and bring significant stability to Vancouver\u2019s defensive group.<\/p>\n
Entering his first professional season, Willander should be expected to make the NHL team at his very first training camp. Although he\u2019ll have to earn it, the club expects the smooth skating right-handed defender to be in their opening-night lineup.<\/p>\n
Mancini has exciting tools \u2014 his size, speed and puck-carrying ability among them \u2014 and showed well both for Vancouver down the stretch and for Abbotsford in the Calder Cup playoffs. Given Vancouver\u2019s overall options on the back-end, Mancini will have to put in a very strong camp to cement his spot on Vancouver\u2019s opening-night, 23-man roster.<\/p>\n
Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen will be Vancouver\u2019s NHL platoon, with the club ideally playing Demko in about 50 games or so while Lankinen handles the remainder of the work this upcoming season.<\/p>\n
Down in Abbotsford, the organization is planning to roll with a tandem of Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young. Veteran netminder Jiri Patera, however, is likely to be the club\u2019s preferred third option to play NHL games in the event of an injury to one of their NHL-level goaltenders. Where the club places Patera to stay fresh during the season \u2014 can the club\u2019s third option maintain NHL readiness at the ECHL level? \u2014 and how Vancouver manages their goaltending depth will be an interesting minor storyline to track as training camp unfolds.<\/p>\n
(Photo of Filip Chytil and Tyler Myers: Steph Chambers \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Though it\u2019s been a slower than anticipated offseason of hockey news across the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99,1320],"class_list":["post-103621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports","tag-vancouver-canucks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}