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31 days, 31 questions: Will Canucks score more goals under Manny Malhotra than they did under Adam Foote?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Aug 4, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 3, 2026, 21:43 EDT
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, on August 4th, a look at overall team offence and whether more should be expected with a new coach at the helm.
With two additional games on the schedule next season, it stands to reason the Vancouver Canucks should have a decent chance of eclipsing the 210 goals they scored as a team last season. Then again, it’s important to note that Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane combined for 30 of those goals while the likes of Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland, Quinn Hughes, Nils Höglander and other departed players accounted for an additional 25 goals. So maybe reaching that total of 210 won’t be easy for the rebuilding Canucks.
Surely, the club will be counting on improvement from within. But it’s also fair to wonder if there is a 25-goal scorer on the current roster. There wasn’t last season when Jake DeBrusk led the way with 23 goals followed by Brock Boeser with 22. They were the only Canucks to score more than 17 goals over the team’s 82-game schedule. As a group, Adam Foote’s pop gun offence only managed to outscore the Calgary Flames – and at that, only by two.
One simple way to boost the team’s overall output would be to see Elias Pettersson double his personal total of 15 from last season. But there is nothing simple when it comes to projecting what the Canucks will get from their highest-paid forward. Any improvement would be welcome, but based on Pettersson’s production levels for more than two years now, it’s hard to bank on any sizable uptick.
Collectively, it’s conceivable the Canucks could see a bump in their power play scoring. The club managed to convert 51 times with the man-advantage last season. That left them tied with Tampa Bay for 15th in the league in raw power play goals scored, so despite being a last place team in the standings, the Canucks were actually middle of the road when it came to power play production. And two seasons ago, when the club won 50 times and racked up 109 points, it scored 58 times on the power play. So how realistic is a noticeable boost in power play production next season?
One area the Canucks simply have to be better is on home ice, where they won just nine times and managed only 100 goals in 41 games at Rogers Arena last season. Even in a rebuild, they have to show more in front of their home fans next season. The season before, the Canucks won 17 times on home ice, so they were considerably better, yet that version of the team only scored 112 times in front of the home fans.
If the Canucks are to exceed the 210 goals they scored last season, here’s how it will likely have to happen. First of all, the team needs to defend less and attack more. Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren will both need to make significant jumps from the eight goals they each potted as Canucks last season. That should be money in the bank. There’s reason to believe Filip Chytil will score more than the three goals he netted last season IF – and it’s a big if – he can stay healthy and play the bulk of the schedule.
On paper, Jonathan Lekkerimäki seems like a strong candidate to exceed the two goals he scored last season. Same goes for Aatu Räty and his four goals. And then there is hope that newcomers Paul Cotter and Brendan Gallagher can chip in offensively. Cotter is one season removed from a career-best 16 goals while Gallagher had 21 goals two seasons ago before dropping to just seven last season.
Additionally, it would help if the Canucks could find a defenceman who could crack double digits. Filip Hronek led the way on the blueline last season with eight goals while Tom Willander had five and Zeev Buium chipped in with three in the 45 games he played after being acquired from the Minnesota Wild. It would be a welcome sight to see both Willander and Buium take significant steps offensively next season.
Add it all up, and it looks like offence will once again be a challenge for the Vancouver Canucks over the course of the 2026-27 season. Maybe those two additional games on the schedule will allow the club to push its goal total past the 210 the team scored last season. Maybe. But it certainly isn’t any kind of a guarantee.
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
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$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
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13/23
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