logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
31 days, 31 questions: Which defencemen will handle Canucks penalty killing duties next season?
alt
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Aug 23, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 21, 2026, 19:34 EDT
Comments
Welcome to a new series here at CanucksArmy, where over the month of August we’ll ask a new question each day about the Vancouver Canucks. We’re calling it “31 days, 31 questions”. Today, we’re examining which defenders will shoulder the load as the team’s top penalty killers next season.
Earlier this summer, we noted the Vancouver Canucks had no choice but to develop new penalty killing forwards. With significant roster churn over the past 12 months, the Canucks will need to breathe some new life into their PK forward options.
But what about on defence?
Last season, Marcus Pettersson led all blueliners on the team in shorthanded ice time and Tyler Myers was third in that category. So it appears there will be open auditions on the back-end, too. Now, clearly veteran Jamie Oleksiak was signed with some of that heavy lifting in mind. He and Filip Hronek will likely be the primary penalty killing duo on defence. But after that, the Canucks will need to explore their options.
Part of Elias Pettersson’s bounce-back could come as a penalty killer. The young defenceman was fourth among Canucks blueliners last season in shorthanded ice time, so he knows the drill and needs to continue to refine his work on the PK. He will certainly be counted on in that role.
It stands to reason that when he’s in the lineup, veteran Luke Schenn will be asked to kill penalties. It’s something he’s done throughout his lengthy NHL career. But at 36 (he turns 37 on November 2nd), Schenn’s overall usage remains a question mark. Will he be in uniform every night? Or has that ship sailed as he approaches the start of his 19th NHL season?
Tom Willander stands to handle more of a penalty-killing role in his second NHL season. He averaged 29 seconds of PK time in his 70 games last season. Willander will need to work on his positional play to prevent opposing forwards from getting to the inside on him. But he certainly has the smarts to use his stick and skating ability to effectively defend.
With Hronek, Oleksiak, Pettersson and either Schenn or Willander, the Canucks have the makings of a pair of penalty killing defensive duos. And they’ll have options if they want to give Willander physical support by using him with Oleksiak, leaving Hronek and Pettersson to work together. Alternatively, Oleksiak and Schenn would give the Canucks two battle-tested veterans who could be paired together and make life difficult for any opposing forward.
Zeev Buium did next to no penalty killing for the Canucks last season after being acquired from the Minnesota Wild. He played a grand total of 2:12 while shorthanded. That’s not likely to change much as he’ll be expected to play bigger minutes at 5-on-5 and see time on the power play.
That leaves Victor Mancini as the other option to work his way into the team’s PK mix. In his 24 NHL games last season, Mancini averaged just 20 seconds of penalty killing time, so his opportunities were limited. Can he do enough to work his way into consideration to be a shorthanded option when he’s in the lineup? It feels like his best path to more opportunity at the NHL level would be to lean into his size and strength and establish himself as a prime penalty killer.
Sponsored by bet365
Daily FaceoffPuckPedia
Editorials
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News

vancouver-canucks
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
PuckPedia

Cap Summary

2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
Projected Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Active Players
23/23
13/23

Draft Picks

Round
'26
'27
1
2
1
2
2
2
3
1
1