Hi Jeff, if you could only choose 1 - would you want another first round pick in 2027 or a twin-sheet practice rink?? 👀
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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Who will lead the Canucks in goals and points this season?
Sep 28, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 28, 2026, 01:26 EDT
Congratulations! You have made it through another long offseason in Vancouver, and it’s time to drop the puck on the 2026-27 National Hockey League schedule. It’s bound to be a bumpy ride for the Canucks. But we’ve all been warned that wins and losses really don’t matter. It’s all about player development and taking the necessary and calculated moves to rebuild the franchise properly.
Before the puck drops on the new season, we have plenty of your questions to answer in our weekly Monday mailbag. Let’s get started, shall we?
I wrestled with this one. You didn’t put a timeline on the twin-sheet practice facility, so I think I’d lean toward another first-rounder next spring. Juice that rebuild. The practice facility is going to take time regardless, so it’s going to be a few years at the very least before the Canucks are skating on whatever the new practice rink looks like and wherever it is. The 2027 NHL Draft is shaping up to be a good one, and if the team could land (at least) one additional first-rounder, I think that’s the direction they’d have to take. Ideally, they’d get multiple first-round picks next spring AND have a practice facility magically appear. But that’s not how it works. So if it’s an either/or, I’m taking the draft pick.
If brisbois made the team would it not be in Mancini best interest to play a lot in abbey btw I like bris making the team a solid 7 dman
We’ll see what the Monday morning waiver wire yields, but it certainly looks like both Guillaume Brisebois and Victor Mancini will be on the Canucks’ opening-day 23-man roster. Manny Malhotra talked over the weekend about the benefit of keeping eight defencemen around. It makes life easier to practice with four distinct defensive pairs. The Canucks open with four games in six nights and then head off on a six-game Eastern road trip. It is probably prudent to have additional bodies on the back end given the condensed schedule and the fact that Luke Schenn, at 36, may not be an every-night option, especially with a couple of early-season back-to-backs.
Yes, it makes more sense for 24-year-old Victor Mancini to play a lot in the AHL rather than be a press-box regular at the NHL level. But let’s see how the Canucks fare over their first few weeks of the season and take stock of the team’s health and on-ice performance. Mancini is still waiver-exempt, but that won’t last long. So that has to be factored into all decisions, too. Ultimately, Mancini spending the first month of the season in the NHL, even if he doesn’t play much, isn’t really an issue. But it’s hardly a long-term plan for a player that still needs to prove he belongs in the NHL full time.
I track whenever an AHL deal on the team turns into an NHL one. The Nux have graduated some NHL players recently via this route: Catcomb, Stephens, Blais, Wouters, etc.Anyone else on an AHL deal that you think turns into an NHL one maybe next year or this?
— Geordie (@geordiedent.bsky.social) 2026-09-26T16:29:24.386Z
Bennett Schimek is certainly one name to keep an eye on. He was nearly a point-per-game guy after joining Abbotsford late last season after four NCAA seasons. The 23-year-old right winger impressed at the prospect’s showcase against Seattle earlier this month and didn’t look out of place at his first NHL training camp in Penticton. He has good wheels and decent hands. It will be interesting to see how he is utilized in his first full season in the minors. But he certainly could be one of those candidates to earn an NHL deal in relatively short order. The other player to keep tabs on in this regard is Austin Brimmer. He’s far more of a long shot at 25 already, but at 6’3” and 205 pounds, he has a chance to be a handful for AHL defenders. He doesn’t have anywhere close to the scoring profile Schimek does, but he was another player that held his own at Canucks main camp. We’ll see where their paths lead them.
is the opening night roster actually younger than the end of season roster? Will we really see “an exciting young core” play
The Canucks certainly added older players over the off-season in Luke Schenn (36), Brendan Gallagher (34) and Jamie Oleksiak (33). But they also walked away from Evander Kane (34), Teddy Blueger (32) and Marcus Pettersson (30). So the newcomers will skew the average age higher, meaning the Canucks are likely older at the start of this season than they were at the end of last season. Key young players like Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Liam Öhgren were all on the roster at the end of last season.
The only true youngster here now that wasn’t at the end of last season is 22-year-old Jonathan Lekkerimäki. But that’s by design. The Canucks wanted 19-year-old Braeden Cootes to develop in the AHL, and this year’s first-rounders – Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotný– are in school and junior hockey, respectively. We’ll wait to see where the Canucks stack up when all 32 teams set their rosters. I’d imagine the Canucks will be among the six or eight youngest teams in the league.
When do you put out your predictions for the season? Separate article or this mailbag?
Well, now that you ask, let’s do it right here, right now. I’m going to peg the Canucks to go 30-48-6 good for 66 points. I think they’ll have an even split with 15 victories both home and away. I project Elias Pettersson to lead the team with 62 points and Jake DeBrusk to lead the club in goals with 26. I think the Canucks will have a top 10 power play in the league and I certainly hope their penalty kill jumps a few notches from its 32nd place finish last season.
Top 3 projected point producers: Pettersson (62), Rossi (58), Hronek (47)
Top 3 projected goal scorers: DeBrusk (26), Boeser (25) and Karlsson (19)
I have to go with Luke Schenn. Maybe it’s because I’ve had the chance to get to know him a little over his previous two stops here. But he’s just an easygoing guy who usually has something to say. And he often does it with an ease and charm that makes him such a solid interview. I haven’t had the chance to spend a lot of time around Brendan Gallagher yet, but I think many of those same attributes apply. I have no doubt he’ll be a go-to guy for the media this season. Zeev Buium rarely disappoints when he steps in front of microphones and cameras. At 20, he’s thoughtful and articulate and offers solid insight into the game and usually does it with a smile on his face.
And I have to give Manny Malhotra credit for his work with the media so far. There’s bound to be some nights ahead when he won’t like some of the questions that come his way, but to this point, he’s been kind and considerate with his time and instructive with many of his answers. Let’s hope that’s the case all season long.
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$88,074,947
$71,329,167
Projected Cap Space
$15,925,053
$42,170,833
Current Cap Space
$15,925,053
$42,170,833
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1