They say in hockey, things can change with one phone call. And certainly on the eve of National Hockey League free agency, that is more true than ever. But if we hold this moment in time as a photograph and work off the Vancouver Canucks roster as it is currently constructed, here is a remarkably early look at the possible line combinations Manny Malhotra may employ in his first season as head coach.

What you’ll see from this experiment is that there is very clearly room for the Canucks to spend wisely in free agency to bring in a veteran depth centre, and there certainly looks to be ample opportunity for at least one more player who brings some snarl.

The expectation is that change will continue through the offseason, and that the Canucks’ roster will look different when training camp rolls around. But Ryan Johnson has preached patience since the day he was promoted to general manager and, as a result, change may come slowly.

For now, however, these are the component parts the Canucks have, and this is possibly how they’d line up if their season opener was tonight:

Jake DeBrusk-Elias Pettersson-Linus Karlsson

This is hardly a top line that will win over the fan base. But such is life with a last-place hockey club. Like it or not, Pettersson remains the best centre on the roster and, despite his struggles to score at 5-on-5 last season, DeBrusk is the team’s best left winger for the time being. Karlsson led the hockey club in even-strength point production and deserves an opportunity to start the season higher in the lineup than he played on most nights last season. He will win board battles and get to the front of the net. He scored 15 times, averaging just 12:31 of ice time. Give him an increased role and see what he can do with it.

Liam Öhgren-Marco Rossi-Brock Boeser

These guys deserve a chance to pick up where they left off last season. In 25 games after the Olympic break, Boeser led the Canucks with 10 goals and 23 points, and a healthy Rossi was second on the team in scoring with 20 points. Those two seemed to find something that worked. And speaking of work, that’s what Liam Ohgren brings to the mix. Using his size and speed to create space for Rossi, Ohgren can also help out as a disruptive forechecker to turn pucks over. It should be exciting to see what Ohgren does to take the next step in his first full season as a Canuck. Rossi, meanwhile, showed his hockey smarts down the stretch and was rewarded for his efforts. Hopefully, he hits the ground running at his first Canucks training camp in the fall.

Drew O’Connor-Aatu Räty-Brendan Gallagher

This line offers a little bit of everything, but also comes with a host of question marks. Can O’Connor come anywhere close to the 17 goals he scored last season? He faded down the stretch, but brings size and speed to this trio. Are we ready for another summer of pencilling Raty in as the third line centre when he struggled to get into the lineup at all late in the season? He had a strong showing, helping Finland win gold at the World Championship, and hopefully that boosts his confidence as opportunity knocks. And then there is the newcomer Gallagher, who said all the right things when he spoke Monday after being acquired by the Canucks. But he needs to prove he can still find ways to impact games after a seven-goal season in Montreal. He should be motivated and, hopefully, can still be that thorn in opponents’ sides.

Max Sasson-Filip Chytil-Jonathan Lekkerimäki

Full credit to Sasson, but it feels like he’s the only one of the three actually suited for a fourth line role. He’ll go up and down the wings and cause defenders headaches with his speed. It’s truly hard to know where to slot Chytil, but he’s under contract and on the roster, so we’ve put him here. Very clearly, he’s not a prototypical fourth line centre. And we’re certainly only pencilling him in here – no indelible ink – given his considerable health concerns. And for a variety of reasons, this is not the best slot for Lekkerimaki, but he has yet to prove he belongs in an NHL top-six full-time. So he’s starting here with a chance to get some power play time and an opportunity to work his way up the depth chart.

Extra forwards:

Braeden Cootes

Ideally, Cootes comes to camp and replicates his preseason of a year ago, which forced the Canucks to keep him on the roster. But in a perfect world, the 2025 first-rounder is probably best served to take advantage of new CBA rules and play a full season in Abbotsford as a 19-year-old.

Ty Mueller

Mueller was a Manny Malhotra favourite down in Abbotsford, and we’ll see if that carries over as the 23-year-old bids for full-time work in the NHL. He has proven himself as an all-around contributor in the AHL, and at the moment there appears to be a path forward for him to make the hockey club with a strong camp and preseason.

Ilya Safonov

A wild card, to be sure, but the size of the 25-year-old Russian centre is undeniable. At 6’5” and 222 pounds, Safonov offers a different profile for the bottom of the lineup if he is up to NHL standards. He’s coming off a 16-goal and 33-point season in the KHL.

Arshdeep Bains

Is there another NHL chapter left to be written by Bains, who looked to be passed over on the depth chart as the rebuild began? Now 25, Bains had just one goal in 28 NHL games last season. Malhotra knows him well, and that may work in his favour. But Bains needs to show there is more to his game. At this stage of his career, he hasn’t been able to carve out a role or an identity at the NHL level. It seems he’s skating on thin ice when it comes to earning another shot in Vancouver.

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