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Curtis Douglas knows his role and is ready to battle for new Canucks teammates
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Photo credit: © Jeff Romance-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Mar 9, 2026, 15:42 EDTUpdated: Mar 9, 2026, 16:02 EDT
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Curtis Douglas understands the assignment.
The massive winger, claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, skated with his new teammates for the first time on Monday morning. He is expected to suit up and make his Canucks debut on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators, although Adam Foote wouldn’t fully commit to putting Douglas in the lineup tonight.
When he met with the media for the first time, Douglas discussed the opportunity in front of him and fully grasps that he has been brought in to provide an element of toughness and physicality that has been missing from the Vancouver lineup this season.
“I know it’s a younger, skilled group and I think it will be fun to get in there and mix it up a little bit and be there for the younger guys and not let other teams push us around at all,” Douglas said.
At 6’9”, Douglas joins New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe as the tallest players in the National Hockey League. In 29 games this season with Tampa Bay, the 26-year-old Toronto native registered a pair of assists, picked up 92 penalty minutes and dropped the gloves on eight occasions.
He says he’s hoping to put those same traits on display with the Canucks.
“It’s pretty simple for me,” he explained. “It’s getting in on the forecheck and making sure guys on the other team going back for the puck are going to pay a price. And just bringing that toughness and some passion and hopefully the fans will like that, too. As a new guy coming into the league, obviously it’s your dream to play in the NHL, so I’ll do whatever I can to stay and whatever I can to contribute and be an asset to the Canucks. So whatever they need me to do, I’m here for it.”
At morning skate on Monday, Douglas found himself on a line with Aatu Räty and Drew O’Connor. It’s been a whirlwind weekend that saw Douglas claimed on waivers on Friday, and the scramble was on to join his new teammates in Winnipeg on Saturday. He had Sunday off to catch his breath and is ready to report for duty starting tonight.
Douglas said he didn’t know any of his new teammates before he met up with the club, but he did play against a handful of the current Canucks in last year’s American Hockey League playoffs when he was with the Tucson Roadrunners.
He’s in the NHL now and hoping to stay for the long haul, although he’s a pending group six unrestricted free agent, so he will require a new contract after this season. That makes these final 19 games on the Canucks schedule important to Curtis Douglas. And his best path to a new deal is to play to his strengths whenever he’s in the lineup.
“I think a big transition to playing professional hockey is the guys are bigger, faster, stronger and sometimes, people get caught,” he said. “ It helps some of the guys to feel a little safer to play their game and do what they need to do if I’m out there and able to take care of business for them if they can’t do so or making sure that no one on the other team is taking liberties or that kind of thing.”
Without question, at his size and with his frame, Curtis Douglas cuts an imposing figure. It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of presence he will carry over the final six weeks for the Vancouver Canucks.
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