With the Vancouver Canucks in full rebuild mode for the 2026-27 season and the foreseeable future, it’s an opportunity for young players to show what they’ve got and to prove they can be a part of the Canucks when they become contenders.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki is one of the Canucks’ young prospects who looks like he could be a part of the team long-term. The 22-year-old has shown offensive promise, proving himself in the American Hockey League on the Abbotsford Canucks, but has yet to break into the Canucks’ National Hockey League lineup.

Now, with the Canucks in the midst of a rebuild and trying to develop prospects, having brought in Manny Malhotra, whom Lekkerimäki spent two seasons with in Abbotsford, and starting to contend amongst the bottom-of-the-league teams, this is by far Lekkerimäki’s best chance to break out.

While Lekkerimäki may not play all 84 games this season, he should be making regular appearances, only missing out for the occasional reset day if needed.

The Swede has spent parts of the past three seasons in Abbotsford, even winning a Calder Cup with them, as well as spent time in the past two seasons with Vancouver. He’s totalled a career 37 games in the NHL, 24 during the 2024-25 season and 13 during the 2025-26 season. No doubt he would have seen more than 13 games last season had his season not ended early due to needing shoulder surgery.

Now’s the time in Lekkerimäki’s career when he should be making that jump from AHL to NHL.

At the AHL level, he’s shown his contributions offensively, notching 50 points, 33 goals and 17 assists, in 63 career games, a 0.79 point-per-game percentage. In his 37 NHL games, he’s tallied 9 points, 5 goals and 4 assists, a 0.24 PPG.

The 22-year-old has yet to even play a half-season worth of games, and while the time he has spent up in Vancouver has been pretty consistent, not getting constantly recalled or sent down, it’s still nowhere near as valuable as a full season with the Canucks, which the 2026-27 season should be for him.

Lekkerimäki needs to head into training camp working to make the Canucks’ opening night roster, and stay there. And he will stay there if he shows his growth, particularly offensively, at the NHL level.

Right now, Daily Faceoff Vancouver’s Canucks offensive line combinations look like this:

Jake DeBrusk – Elias Pettersson – Linus Karlsson
Liam Öhgren – Marco Rossi – Brock Boeser
Drew O’Connor – Filip Chytil – Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Paul Cotter – Aatu Raty – Brendan Gallagher

However, as the season gets underway, these lines can easily change.

In the top six, the only real spot that appears to be available for Lekkerimäki to chase is Karlsson’s. If the BRÖ line picks up where they left off with their chemistry, they will be hard to break up. Debrusk and Pettersson played on a line together last season, and Karlsson is taking the spot of former Canuck Evander Kane. If Lekkerimäki starts the 2026-27 campaign strong, this could be a spot for him.

Lekkerimäki needs to focus on his development into the NHL before he starts worrying about breaking the top six, and with Manny Malhotra behind the bench, a coach known for developing his players, he should have the proper support and leadership to do so. If he finds himself playing in the top six, that’s just a bonus.

Currently, Lekkerimäki is projected to receive playing time on the Canucks second power play unit. Playing with extra space and with his former Swedish Hockey League teammate Öhgren, with whom he has shown chemistry, could prove to help him start to produce offensively and get shots to the net as he adjusts to 5-on-5 play.

Things can change at the drop of a dime, and it is on Lekkerimäki to put himself in a position where he can play regular NHL minutes and work his way into the top six.

Honestly, any time spent with the Abbotsford Canucks would fall below expectations for Lekkerimäki.

He doesn’t need to be perfect right away, and the Canucks are in a position to let him learn and grow from mistakes. Having spent parts of the past three seasons in Abbotsford, the best place for him to develop is in Vancouver at the NHL level. Any time he’s not there learning, on or off the ice, is not helping him and is not what the Canucks should be doing.

As more prospects climb the ranks, Lekkerimäki needs to capitalize on the opportunity to gain a full season of NHL experience, starting to show the full extent of his skills and whether what he brings to the ice is part of the Canucks’ future.

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