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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Will the Canucks actually play the kids or shield them from another tough season?

Jeff Paterson's weekly Vancouver Canucks mailbag.

By Jeff Paterson

Aug 24, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 23, 2026, 20:56 EDT

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After a one-week absence, the Monday mailbag returns. By this time next month, the Vancouver Canucks will have conducted training camp and will already be halfway through their four-game National Hockey League preseason. So we’re certainly getting closer to hockey season. And when the team hits the ice, we’ll start to get some answers about what this rebuilding season may actually look like. In the meantime, many of you have questions about the hockey club. So let’s jump in and get to work on this week’s mailbag.

Will Anderson

@willanderson393

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Replying to @patersonjeff

What are your expectations on tracking the progress of this rebuild? Over the years we have seen teams like Chicago, Montreal, Sharks , Buffalo have different measures of “success”. Over the next 3-5 years, what is your definition of success for the Canucks year over year.

5:44 PM · Aug 22, 2026

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For me, it’s really about the growth and development of young players. Wins and losses truly don’t matter this coming season. It’s far more about seeing Manny Malhotra instill systems and structure that can help the team compete on a nightly basis. It’s about living with mistakes and learning from them. It’s about holding players accountable and teaching them so that over the course of the season, there is discernible growth in their games. I might go so far as to apply that to the next two seasons. By the third season under Malhotra, I think it’s fair to assume that results will start to matter and that the work put in over the next two seasons should start to pay off by Year 3. So I wouldn’t worry about the playoffs in either of the next two seasons. I think the team has to be prepared to struggle and continue to build through the draft. By the 2028-29 season, this team’s core should be comprised of Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Liam Öhgren, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotny – all first-round draft picks. Will that be enough to start to climb the Western Conference ladder? Significant strides have to be taken over the next two seasons to give fans a glimmer of hope for year three under Manny Malhotra. If not, the Canucks may need to rebuild the rebuild.

Do you think young players/prospects will get roster opportunity? Or will organizational focus be on shielding young players/prospects in AHL/junior/ to avoid getting shelled every night given that this is Year 1 of the rebuild?

— Trevor Crawley 🇨🇦 (@trevorcrawley.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T20:32:28.375Z

I really want to believe that young players will get a legitimate shot to prove their worth at the NHL level this coming season. Manny Malhotra understands the assignment, and the fact that he has already worked with so many of the players on the big-league roster should be an advantage. Yes, it’s going to be difficult to win on a lot of nights. And the Canucks have to guard against frustration setting in with young players. But with a commitment to a better defensive system and surrounded by quality veteran leaders added to the mix over the summer, the Canucks are trying to create a better environment for their key young pieces. Looking at the current roster, it certainly appears Zeev Buium and Tom Willander are going to play and play a lot. And up front, guys like Liam Öhgren, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aatu Räty absolutely need opportunities to grow their games. The new management group has repeatedly talked of doing the rebuild properly. We’re about to find out what that looks like on the ice. But it would fly in the face of everything that’s been said over the offseason if the Canucks lean on the veterans they have instead of playing the kids.

I certainly hope so. And we’re about to find out. The summer months have been part of the honeymoon period, and there has been next to no news to come out of Rogers Arena over the past month. But that’s about to change as the team starts into the new season. I’m not sure much has changed at the very top of the organization in terms of how the local media is viewed. But I hope that Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Johnson, and Manny Malhotra can all see the value of an open and honest relationship with the local media that covers the team on a daily basis. The media landscape in the market is in a state of flux, so it remains to be seen how much daily foot traffic will be in the locker room. That number has dwindled in recent years, and the demise of Sportsnet 650 will put another dent in the local media ranks. That’s out of the hockey team’s control, but it’s certainly something it should be concerned about. More media discussing the club on a daily basis is good for the organization – whether it chooses to see it that way or not. More local media means more competition to find and tell unique and compelling stories. That’s good for fans, but also for the hockey club. So hopefully the new regime sees the benefits of speaking to its fans through the media. Fans want information, and the media plays a key role in that. It doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship as it seems to have become in recent years. Despite the team’s expected struggles on the ice this season, there will surely still be good stories that deserve to be told.

Trevor Chong

@trevorchong

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Replying to @patersonjeff

I know the season hasn't even started, but throw the lines in a blender for me. What are some unique line combinations you'd like to see in training camp?

10:39 PM · Aug 21, 2026

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Can Marco Rossi centre every line? I kid. Sort of. I don’t know how unique some of these will be, but let’s start by playing former junior teammates Liam Öhgren and Jonathan Lekkerimäki on the same line. If you’re going to ‘play the kids’, why not play ones with some history together? Put Rossi in the middle and see what you’ve got.

I’d like to see Linus Karlsson get more run than he got last season playing higher in the lineup. So maybe Karlsson with EP40, and how about Paul Cotter on the other side to add some speed and a bit of a physical presence to the mix.

Or maybe Cotter and Brendan Gallagher on the wings with 6’5” Ilya Safonov in the middle to create a line that could cause some havoc and wear opponents down.

If he’s healthy, put Filip Chytil on Rossi’s wing and maybe slap Drew O’Connor or Max Sasson on the other side to produce a line that could scoot.

You asked about training camp, so we’ll likely see some experimenting from Manny Malhotra and his staff. I am curious to see what we can learn from where they slot guys with NHL experience like Akil Thomas and Trey Fix-Wolansky.

As of right now, over-under for points in the season? Maybe 65?

— @vantulk.bsky.social 2026-08-22T17:07:48.286Z

Bet365 has set the line on the Canucks at 74.5, which is a significant jump from the 58 points they amassed last season. The gambling site still has them with the lowest projection in the league, but it expects considerable improvement from last season’s disaster. I’d take the over on your 65, but probably hammer the under on 74.5. I think Manny Malhotra will make a difference. I think bringing in quality character veterans like Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn will have a positive impact on the locker room. I think improvement from within should help the club amass more points. And I have to expect the Canucks will win more than a measly nine games on home ice. Even if they can get to 14 at Rogers Arena (a third of their home games), that’s five more victories and 10 more points in the standings. Oh, and there is also the fact that the club is playing two additional games this season, making more points available overall. So I’d move your line by a handful of points. I’d probably set my own mark at 70.5.

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