Now a firmly established NHLer, Canucks’ Linus Karlsson believes he has another level to find

Linus Karlsson didn’t find the scoresheet in the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t make a crucial impact.

With half a period to go and the Canucks down 2-0, Karlsson was felled by a collision at centre ice with Michael Bunting that got the Flyers winger whistled for elbowing. The Canucks’ power play connected on a Jonathan Lekkerimäki one-timer to cut the lead to one, then Karlsson was slashed by Travis Konecny a few seconds later, putting his team right back on the man advantage. To say the least, the Flyers were less than pleased.

Those calls marked the 27th and 28th times the Swedish forward has drawn an opponent into a penalty over the last two seasons. That’s the second most by any Canuck aside from Elias Pettersson, a stat line that surprised Karlsson.

“That’s a good thing if you can draw a couple penalties. Yesterday was two pretty good penalties with like eight minutes left, and we’re down two goals,” Karlsson said Tuesday. “I just think when you try to hold on to pucks, if you’re strong on the puck, they’re gonna do some sh*t, you know? Like holds and hooks and slashing. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

He’s been doing a whole lot more than just drawing penalties this season. Karlsson’s four goals and six assists have him on a 40-point pace, good enough to beat his personal best 35 points from 2025-26. In the early parts of a season where consistency has been hard to come by, the 26-year-old seems to be firmly establishing himself as a reliable NHL scorer, with his physicality and defensive skills making a big impression too.

As the Canucks have tried to capture some consistent team chemistry, Karlsson’s linemates have shuffled quite a bit. Liam Öhgren, Elias Pettersson, and Max Sasson are just some of the players Karlsson has taken turns with on the ice. His ability to put up points with regularity, regardless of who he’s skating with, is a part of Karlsson’s game he takes a lot of pride in.

“I always felt that I can play [on] every line. I can play on a shutdown line; I can play on a line defensively. If [we] want to push for a goal, I can be that offensive guy. I can play in all different lines,” Karlsson said. “We just need to try to find some chemistry here with the lines, and I think that’s what’s missing a little bit right now.”

The player Karlsson spent the largest percentage of his ice time with, Drew O’Connor, has firsthand experience with what makes him a great linemate. “I think he’s a smart player,” O’Connor said. “He’s good at holding onto the puck, he uses his brain a lot on the ice and makes good plays.”

Karlsson has also ventured into new territory as an assistant captain for the Canucks this season. As he’s leaned on more for his leadership in the locker room, Karlsson knows what he and his teammates need to do to improve their chances of winning. “I think it has to just come down to the work, the compete. It doesn’t matter who you play with. Just go out there and play hockey.”

Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra has watched Karlsson grow from an AHL prospect in Abbotsford to a crucial part of the 2024 Calder Cup championship team to a leader in Vancouver. He views Karlsson as a player who’s soaked up all the lessons the hockey club has asked of him, and how much it’s paid off.

“I think when you look at his progression and how he got here, he sets the example of our expectation of development,” Malhotra said. “He went to the American League with the right attitude, did all the things that we asked him to do, really developed his game and carried that over in the NHL.

“And when you look at his season last year, he didn’t deviate from the things that we kept talking about and wanting him to do. That was the main reason for his success last year. So just in terms of when you talk about doing things the right way. That’s a prime example for me of a guy that did it the right way to get here.”

Ask Karlsson, and he’s not done learning. In assessing his own game, he wants and expects a whole lot more out of himself.

“I feel like I can be a lot better,” Karlsson said. “I have much more to show. I mean, it’s hard when you always lose and stuff. But I feel like I can find another two, three steps here to play my best hockey.”

There are specific areas where Karlsson wants to improve. “I think just having a little bit more confidence when I have the puck. The whole team wants to play a little bit more in the O-zone and be strong on the puck. That’s normally what I’m good at; I think I can keep doing that better,” Karlsson said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good defensive job, but [on] offence I think I can do a better job; [be] strong on the puck, go to the net…that’s what I did last year. I think I have to get back to that.”

His head coach affirmed how much Karlsson strives to find another gear without sacrificing what got him to the NHL in the first place. “There’s constant learning, there’s constant adaptation, there’s constant growth,” Malhotra said. “But he stays to that formula that got him to this level and continues to progress.”

And Karlsson’s attention to detail is focused squarely on helping the Canucks turn things around. “I’m just out there playing as good as I can every night, and that’s what I can do,” Karlsson said. “Play hard, do what I’m good at, and help the team to try to win games.”