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 whether the Canucks will bring in any players on PTOs and who those players might be.

Every year, the topic of inviting players to Training Camp on Professional Tryout deals comes up, and every year it’s a little controversial, at least in this market. It’s not that hard to see why, either. Fans of the Vancouver Canucks stay passionate all through the offseason, and much of that summertime is spent speculating about who’s going to be on next year’s team. Fans inevitably develop their preferences, and then right before the action starts, in comes some stranger who doesn’t even have a contract, and now they’re a threat to push your preferred players right out of the lineup.

Of course, PTOs are rarely successful, and it rarely goes that way, but it’s fun to live through the controversy again and again. And again, most likely, in the lead-up to 2026-27.

The Canucks didn’t invite any PTOs to camp last year, aside from the standard camp tryouts given to players on contract with Abbotsford, and an amateur tryout given to Zack Sandhu. Two years ago, they invited Dylan Ferguson and Sammy Blais. While neither landed an NHL contract, Blais signed with Abbotsford and successfully resurrected his big-league career. The last truly successful PTO for the Canucks was Alex Chiasson, who tried out in 2021, got signed, scored 13 goals, and earned a whole extra year in his career.

The topic came up on this week’s Canucks Conversation, as Rick Dhaliwal told the hosts that he didn’t think the Canucks would be handing out any more contracts to any of the remaining UFAs, but that they might consider a PTO or two.

With only camp and four preseason games to prove themselves this year, any PTO is going to have to arrive with a purpose. That obviously raises questions about why the Canucks would bring in PTOs, and which remaining UFAs might fit those needs.

Here are some of the primary reasons why a PTO might suit the Canucks’ needs:

The main purpose of bringing extra bodies into camp is to create more competition. That’s true in general, but can also apply to specific spots in the lineup.

There are a handful of players already pencilled in to spots in the Canucks’ 2026-27 lineup who haven’t necessarily earned those spots yet. We’re thinking Jonathan Lekkerimäki on the wing, Victor Mancini as the 4RD, and Kirill Kudryavtsev as the 4LD, specifically. Some might put Aatu Räty in the same category. We wouldn’t, but if he ends up at 3C, then whoever ends up at 4C will be in that boat.

So, what the Canucks might want to do is bring in a PTO or two to specifically challenge these players in camp and ensure they have to firmly earn their spot, rather than being handed it by default.

In the end, the preferred outcome is always for these younger players to make the team and keep developing, and they’ll have a major inside edge because of that. But a little competition never hurt anyone.

As it stands, the Canucks have a pretty clear 1-6 on their blueline in Filip Hronek, Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Luke Schenn. Currently, two young defenders, Mancini and Kudryavtsev, are in line to serve as the seventh and eighth defenders.

Both players remain waiver-exempt and could be sent down to Abbotsford instead. Kudryavtsev, in particular, might reasonably need more seasoning at the age of 22.

This could lead the Canucks to seek a genuine veteran candidate for the eighth D slot and bring someone in on a PTO for that purpose.

A couple of the names we’ll mention on the list, primarily Logan Stanley, Nick Blankenburg, and Matt Grzelcyk, seem likely to pick up actual contracts at some point this summer, but one never knows. The others are firmly in PTO territory.

If Filip Chytil either isn’t ready or is permanently moved to the wing for the upcoming season, that puts Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi, and Räty as the first three centres on the roster. And that leaves a fairly open competition for the remaining spot between Braeden Cootes, Ilya Safonov, Ty Mueller, and maybe a few other candidates.

One can never really have too much coverage at centre, so although there are plenty of bodies there, perhaps the Canucks might want a more experienced option to try out.

On that front, the pickings are admittedly a little slim. Most folks capable of playing a centre shift in the NHL are already snapped up. But there are a few kicking around out there worth consideration.

The Canucks have really emphasized good vibes lately and made a clear shift toward a more positive culture. It could be that the Canucks look to bring in some great people on PTOs, if only to keep the mood up in camp.

Alternatively, the Canucks have handed out PTOs to old favourites in Training Camp just for a little extra PR, as they did with Brendan Morrison back in the day. That could always be a factor here, too.

Lastly, we’ll note that the preseason tends to be a little rougher than the regular season, with plenty of knuckleheads out there looking to make a name for themselves. That might be a lesser factor with only four exhibition games on everyone’s schedule, but it’s a factor worth considering all the same. A little extra muscle in a preseason lineup can be seen as a cautionary measure, especially for a squad with an otherwise youthful roster like the Canucks.

They’ve already brought in the likes of Luke Schenn and Jamie Oleskiak to help with this, but you don’t necessarily want your everyday players scrapping in preseason. And there are a few toughies left out there who could be brought in for a little bit of PTO patrolling.