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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Can Canucks make it work with three goalies on NHL roster next season?
Jeff Paterson's weekly Vancouver Canucks mailbag.
Jeff Paterson
May 25, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: May 25, 2026, 02:51 EDT
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After a two-week hiatus, the Monday mailbag makes its triumphant return. And, as usual, loyal CanucksArmy readers have come through with a wide variety of Canucks-related questions. While the market awaits the announcement of a new head coach, we push on to tackle plenty of other issues facing the hockey club these days. From trades to draft picks to roster composition, let’s get down to the business of unpacking another mailbag bursting with questions that require answers.
With full no-move protection for two more seasons, perhaps Fil Hronek does. His agent has made it abundantly clear that the veteran blueliner has no desire to leave Vancouver at this point. Beyond that, the Sharks would clearly say no to a straight swap of the second overall pick for Filip Hronek. While San Jose could certainly use what Hronek offers, the Sharks could hold an open auction for the second overall selection in next month’s draft and land offers that would exceed the 28-year-old’s (who turns 29 in early November) on his own. 
I’m going to say no. While the mercurial centre has certainly been challenged – yet again – to put in more work this summer, I think Pettersson will be here when training camp rolls around. I don’t think the Canucks have any interest in retaining salary on the final six years of his hefty contract. They are already thin up the middle of the ice, and I don’t believe a Pettersson trade would bring back much of significance in return. It would serve more as a salary dump than anything. So my hunch is number 40 will be part of the mix moving forward, and we will all wait to see how he performs under his fifth NHL head coach in his ninth NHL season. Hopefully, for all involved, we won’t have to hear the new head coach urge the team’s highest-paid player to move his feet. The best-case scenario is that Pettersson has a summer of soul-searching and returns to Vancouver ready to impact games at both ends of the ice. He remains a credible defensive presence, but simply has to find a way to be more of an offensive threat than he has been the past two seasons. The Sedins and Ryan Johnson have laid it as clear as possible that they expect Pettersson to meet their thresholds as a leader and culture carrier. If he’s not willing or able to do that, then his future here may very well be in doubt. 
It’s a little too soon to know exactly how this new front office plans to approach all areas of the organization. But the fact that both Sedins and Ryan Johnson played here in the Mike Gillis era gives me hope that they saw firsthand benefits of outside-the-box thinking when it comes to supporting players. The twins have already mentioned that they have full support of ownership to do whatever is necessary to get this operation heading in the right direction. I hope they push the limits on that front. I think it’s pretty clear they will beef up the analytics department. We know the organization is working hard to get the practice facility announcement across the finish line. And that will help (although not for a few years still). There is surely room to expand the franchise’s sports science department and look for cutting-edge ways to make their players better. Hopefully, the Canucks will explore best practices being utilized by other teams and other leagues and will one day soon become an organization that other franchises look to as innovators and leaders in their field. All teams are bound by the same salary cap, but there is no set limit to what organizations can spend to support their players. If the Canucks are not going to spend on massive contracts in the coming years, then perhaps some of that money can be devoted to finding new and innovative ways to make the players on their roster even a little bit better.
Based on current roles and responsibilities, I think it’s more likely that Cammi Granato would be in line for that opportunity. She has spent her time in the Canucks organization in player development, whereas Emilie Castonguay has been more involved in contract negotiation and salary cap management. However, if the decision was simply to promote from within, my gut feeling is that we would have seen that move already. So, based on the evidence presented, I am expecting the Canucks will bring in someone from the outside to oversee the Abbotsford operation. Then again, it’s quite possible that naming a new head coach is the primary file on the desk and mind of Ryan Johnson at the moment. Once that is settled, maybe then he’ll devote more attention to figuring out his plans to oversee the Abbotsford arm of the operation.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves here since Abbotsford currently has a head coach, and his name is Manny Malhotra. Of course, that could change early this week. And if it does, then the hunt for a new bench boss in the Fraser Valley will begin in earnest. The guys you mention offer a variety of experiences from major junior to minor league to NHL playing and coaching. Something tells me the Abbotsford job will be coveted, given the recent history of coaches there finding work in the NHL: Trent Cull, Jeremy Colliton, and now it’s expected that Manny Malhotra will make the jump, too. Will Manny bring any of his staff with him? Or will an Abbotsford assistant be in line for the head coaching role there? How about Landon DuPont’s coach, Steve Hamilton, and the job he’s done with Everett in the Western Hockey League? Replacing Manny Malhotra at the AHL level won’t be an easy feat for the Canucks, but they should have no shortage of interested and qualified candidates for the job.
People want outside-the-box thinking from the new management regime, and carrying three goalies fits the bill. It can also be clunky at times. But if the idea is to keep Thatcher Demko healthy, then having three goalies on the roster might be the best path to prosperity. That way, the Canucks could do things like giving Demko entire days (and nights) off during the season and still have two goalies for practices and games. They could send Demko ahead of the team on road trips when they know he isn’t going to play, so he doesn’t have to deal with late-night travel and early morning arrivals, instead providing maximum rest. With three goalies, the Canucks could map out a system whereby Demko is designated for 35-40 starts, Kevin Lankinen could be earmarked for 30-35, and Nikita Tolopilo would be in line for 15 appearances plus a full season of NHL practices (and a full NHL paycheque). With Tolopilo requiring waivers, the Canucks don’t want to be forced into the same situation this summer that they were with Arturs Silovs a year ago, when they peddled him for pennies on the dollar to avoid losing him for nothing. Next season isn’t about grinding out wins in a push for the playoffs, so why not try something a little different for the organization when it comes to handling its goaltenders? Especially when one of them is a 30-year-old with a long history of injuries who is coming off hip surgery.

Should the Canucks use their cap space to take on salary (and picks/prospects) from cap-crunched teams or keep spots open for young players? Is there an ideal balance at this point in the rebuild? Any teams/players as ideal targets?

— (@feuerbach11.bsky.social) 2026-05-24T13:13:10.928Z

I don’t think it makes any sense whatsoever for the Canucks to be chasing big-money unrestricted free agents this summer. But taking on salary if they are compensated to do so? Yeah, I’d be open to that depending on the sweetener being offered and the remaining term on the contracts involved. Even with the salary cap rising this summer, there are still teams that will be facing cap crunches – Vegas, Dallas, Buffalo, Minnesota and Edmonton, to name a few. If the Canucks could get paid to take a bad contract or two off the hands of teams looking to clear some much-needed cap space, then they ought to be willing to have those discussions. The new management group spoke at length at its introductory press conference about character and culture, so it’s pretty clear they have a pretty good idea of the kinds of players they’d be open to taking on. Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher is a name that has been thrown around a bit. A Delta native who has lost his spot in the Habs lineup coming home to finish his career in Vancouver with one year left on a $6.5M contract? It could make some sense for all involved – if the price is right.
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