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What does the next step look like for Jonathan Lekkerimäki?: Canucks Conversation
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Clarke Corsan
Feb 3, 2026, 16:01 EST
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On Monday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal dug into what the next step looks like for Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and why his early NHL results have highlighted some clear development priorities moving forward.
Harm focused on the on-ice issues that have shown up consistently through Lekkerimäki’s first stretch of games, particularly how time spent defending has limited his offensive impact.
“There are issues that are leading to him consistently being caved in his own zone, and that impacts him offensively,” Harm said. “The conversations about Lekkerimäki rounding out his game beyond his shooting don’t just pertain to him being more responsible defensively. It affects how much puck possession his line has, how many opportunities he gets in attacking areas, and ultimately how many shooting chances he has.”
The lack of volume has stood out early. Through 12 games this season, Lekkerimäki has managed just 10 shots on goal, a number that reflects more than just limited usage.
“There’s a reason he only has 10 shots,” Harm said. “A big part of the issue right now is foot speed. That’s the biggest bottleneck for his game, and it shows up in a lot of different areas. If you look at NHL Edge data, Lekkerimäki’s top speed this season ranks 16th among Canucks forwards, which is last on the team. He’s slower than Aatu Räty, Brock Boeser and Linus Karlsson. To the naked eye you might not notice it right away, but when you go back and watch his shifts, you see it constantly.”
That lack of pace has limited Lekkerimäki’s ability to influence play away from the puck.
“It hurts him on loose puck recoveries, makes it harder for him to carry the puck up the ice for rush offence,” Harm said. “I noticed multiple forecheck situations where a defender is in an awkward spot, but because Lekkerimäki can’t close quickly enough, instead of forcing a turnover the defender recovers and moves the puck up ice.”
When those moments stack up, the result is a player who struggles to tilt the ice.
“When you combine that with not winning pucks on the forecheck and not looking very dynamic as a neutral-zone transporter, I see a player who – outside of his shot – just isn’t contributing to driving play right now,” Harm said.
Despite the concerns, Harm was clear this isn’t about effort or engagement.
“I don’t see this as an effort issue,” he said. “It’s not a lack of attentiveness. I see a player who’s trying, but he’s too limited physically right now. When the other team has the puck, he can’t really contribute to getting it back. That’s why he spends so much time stuck in his own zone, and that’s going to be a big part of the evolution of his game.”
“He needs a big offseason,” Harm continued. “It’s a double-edged sword. His foot speed is impacting him everywhere, but if he can improve his acceleration and top-end speed, it’s going to help him extend plays, generate more rush offence, close quicker on the forecheck, and arrive on time more consistently. Because Abbotsford went on that deep playoff run last year, he didn’t get a long runway in the offseason to meaningfully improve his skating. I want to see strides not just in straight-line speed, but in edge work and escapability. He already has the shot and the poise with the puck to be a dangerous scorer, but his lack of speed is a major reason why his underlying numbers look so rough right now.”
In the meantime, Harm stressed that opportunity still matters.
“It’s important to keep him on PP1,” he said. “Give him a long runway. His ice time should still be in the teens, even if it’s the low teens. I’d be watching whether he’s making progress in winning puck battles, carrying the puck dynamically, and driving play. For him to score consistently, the underlying process has to improve. It might sound boring to talk about the two-way part of the game, but that’s what’s ultimately going to unlock his offence.”
You can watch the full segment below!

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