Team

Betting

CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Henrik Sedin talks Canucks’ season, preseason standouts, and more

Vancouver Canucks Henrik Sedin Daniel Sedin

Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Clarke Corsan

Sep 29, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 28, 2026, 23:29 EDT

Comments

Henrik Sedin, Co-President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks, joined Halford and Brough to discuss how the organization wants fans and media to judge the upcoming season, the challenges facing Manny Malhotra and his coaching staff, and some of the young players who have stood out during preseason.

Sedin said the organization isn’t going to focus on wins and losses until the team establishes the foundation it wants to see.

“What we’ve talked about internally as a group is we’re not going to talk about wins and losses at all until we have the foundation in place where fans, media, and ourselves can see this is a team that enjoys playing together and for each other. That’s the start; once we have that in place we build and go from there.”

Sedin pointed to moments from the preseason as examples of the type of identity the Canucks want to establish.

“Fans can see if a team enjoys playing for each other. Last preseason game, D-Petey steps up with a hit, there’s a fight, and you can see the bench getting excited and then you come back and score on the power play. Those are things that good teams have and other teams you see who don’t, it’s tough to enjoy watching.”

Sedin also discussed the challenge facing Malhotra and his coaching staff over a long season, particularly when the Canucks inevitably hit difficult stretches.

“It’s a really long season. Even on the good teams we’ve had, there are going to be stretches where you lose a lot of games; it’s just the way it is. Where we are as a team with a lot of young guys, that’s where you want to see that they stick together. That’s where Manny and the coaching staff are playing a huge role for us.

“Manny has seen this market, he’s seen what can happen even when we are where we are in our journey, there’s still going to be criticism. There will be questions about if we’re doing things the right way and that’s where we’ll have to stay strong. That’s the main challenge for all of us.”

As for his own role, Sedin said his focus has shifted more toward hockey after spending the first few months helping build out the organization.

“These days it’s mostly hockey so that’s been fun. The first couple months it was a lot of hiring the right people and going through that process which took a lot of time. Our goal was to bring in people who wanted this organization to do well, not just hockey people who had been around but people who cared about this franchise. We managed to get good people in place so the last couple weeks have been more about hockey which is tremendous for us.”

Sedin also highlighted several young players who have stood out during preseason.

“Braeden Cootes was tremendous again, it was great to see him out there. Tom Willander looks better this year, Zeev has taken a step, Liam Ohgren looked really good in camp so most of our young guys have taken a step which is very good for us. Even Rogowski and Novotny in the games they played.”

Finally, the former Canuck Captain also discussed what the staff wants to see from Jonathan Lekkerimaki as he continues his journey to becoming a mainstay in the NHL.

“We’re going to give him a chance; there’s no question about that. He’s dealt with a few injuries the past couple years so for him to be healthy matters. He took a step in the last game; I thought he looked good there in Seattle.

“For him, it’s more than scoring; he needs to get to the next level when it comes to getting into people, those 50-50 battles when you can’t wait for the puck in this league you have to take it to the next level. He’s aware and open about it. He has a tremendous shot, can score from anywhere, it’s just him learning this league.”

You can watch the full segment on Halford & Brough below!