The wait is over. The Vancouver Canucks return tonight, travelling to Seattle for their preseason debut against the Kraken.

Over the last few days, we’ve gotten our first look at how the Canucks will look under new head coach Manny Malhotra at training camp in Penticton. New systems have been taught and line configurations tested, but now it’s time to see it all in game action.

Courtesy of our own Jeff Paterson, here is how the Canucks will lineup tonight against the Kraken:

Oddly enough, only one forward line remains intact from what we saw in training camp: Vilmer Alriksson-Chase Wouters-Matthew Steinburg. Arshdeep Bains, Braeden Cootes and Adam Novotný skated together over the last two days, but have now split up. Jonathan Lekkerimäki will take Novotný’s spot, with him sliding down to the second line with Ilya Safonov and Trey Fix-Wolansky.

On defence, Guillaume Brisebois and Kirill Kudryavtsev will skate together, despite their training camp partners – Victor Mancini and Jimmy Schuldt, respectively – both in tonight’s lineup. In goal, Nikita Tolopilo will start, and Malhotra plans to give him a fair run tonight.

Here are eight players to watch in tonight’s Canucks vs. Kraken preseason opener.

All eyes will be on Jonathan Lekkerimäki tonight, who is looking to put the injuries behind him and push for a roster spot. He has been a tweener over the past two seasons, bouncing up and down from the AHL to the NHL, never playing half the season in either league. Canucks GM Ryan Johnson has made it clear he wants to avoid “Yo-Yoing” players between leagues, so if he wants to start the season in Vancouver, he’ll need to make the most of his preseason games. Playing on the top line will certainly give him enough runway to do just that.

One year removed from being the star of training camp, Cootes will serve as the Canucks’ top centreman tonight. The question is: how will he replicate that? He’s had a strong camp so far, though he may not have completely blown the doors off like he did last season. However, expectations have changed after what he did last season. If he and Lekkerimäki pick up where their chemistry left off in last year’s preseason, Cootes will certainly be one to watch tonight.

While no Canucks rookie had a Cootes-level breakout in training camp this year, Novotný was undoubtedly the most impressive. At just 18, he held his own against NHLers in the aggressive board-battle drills and continued to flash his high-end shot. We’ve already seen what he can do against competition at the Prospect Showcase; now let’s see if he can stand out against some tougher competition.

Räty is one to watch tonight because of his deployment throughout training camp. We expected Räty to at least start on a with two NHL-level wingers. However, that’s not how it shook out. Instead, we saw Max Sasson, who played mostly on the wing last season – and where he will lineup tonight – centring Drew O’Connor and Brendan Gallagher, while Räty centred Ty Mueller and Trey Fix-Wolansky. Based on that, it feels like Räty’s spot in the lineup isn’t as guaranteed as we originally believed, so a strong outing may be necessary for the 23-year-old Finn.

Coming over from the KHL, Safonov is looking to make a silent push for a depth role in the NHL. After he signed with the Canucks, many fans pegged him for a fourth-line/depth defensive centre role in Vancouver. However, he left us wanting more in the Prospect Showcase, so he’ll need a strong preseason to get back into that conversation.

For our viewings, Fix-Wolansky was one of the offensive standouts in camp. He may have a smaller frame, standing at 5’7″, but his shot is a huge asset. No matter the drill, Fix-Wolansky could pick his spot and beat every goaltender from a distance. We’ll see if he can carry that impressive camp into the preseason. If so, he may have an outside chance at a depth spot in Vancouver to start the year, especially if the younger players snatch a spot out of Canucks camp.

For our viewings, Mancini was one of the defensive standouts in camp – but for all the wrong reasons. Now on a one-way deal making $1 million annually for the next two years, Mancini was expected to compete with Luke Schenn for that sixth-defenceman spot. However, Friday was not his day. Mancini struggled in puck-retrieval drills, mishandling or turning the puck over on all his reps, followed by wiffed shots and turnovers in the offensive drills later in the session. Let’s hope he left that play in Penticton and brings a better version of himself to Seattle.

If Mancini continues to struggle, Kudryavtsev would appear to be in the driver’s seat to usurp him as the top contender for seventh defenceman. Is he undersized at 5’11”? A little bit. Is he left-shot? No. But is he steady as ever? Absolutely. Kudryavtsev will never be the flashiest blueliner, but they don’t need him to be. He’s a defenceman that Malhotra often leaned on, dating back to when he was a rookie during the Calder Cup run. Tonight should be able to tell us something about how Malhotra sees the competition between Mancini and Kudryavtsev. So they are both undoubtedly the two blueliners to watch.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Who are you most excited to watch in tonight’s Canucks vs. Kraken preseason game? Let us know in the comments below!