16 skaters and two goalies at well attended #Canucks optional skate. Still no Marco Rossi. Will see what Malhotra has to say
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Scenes from morning skate: Meriläinen starts, Rossi out again as Canucks host Cup champs from Carolina
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2026, 15:44 EDT
The Vancouver Canucks (2-7-1) open a three-game homestand when they host the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes (7-2-1) at Rogers Arena. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 pm PT.
The Canucks have lost seven straight after going 0-5-1 on a six-game road trip. Their last win came on October 3rd against the Calgary Flames.
What we saw
After a lengthy practice on Monday, the Canucks held a well-attended optional skate on Tuesday morning. All eight defencemen and eight forwards joined goalies Leevi Meriläinen and Kevin Lankinen on the ice. Meriläinen took part in the starters’ drills and is expected to return to the net tonight. He served as Lankinen’s backup for Saturday’s 4-2 loss in Tampa Bay. Meriläinen last played in a 3-2 overtime loss in Florida last Thursday.
Marco Rossi missed the game against the Lightning and will sit out again tonight due to an illness. That means the club will roll with its 12 healthy forwards. Based on Monday’s practice lines, expect Linus Karlsson to get a shot to skate with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. The other lines will likely start with Filip Chytil between Paul Cotter and Brock Boeser; Drew O’Connor in the middle with Liam Öhgren and Jonathan Lekkerimäki; and Max Sasson at centre with Arshdeep Bains and Brendan Gallagher on his wings.
Guillaume Brisebois and Victor Mancini stayed out late after the morning skate, meaning Luke Schenn likely draws back in after sitting out the past two games and three of the six games on the road trip, including the game in Raleigh against the Hurricanes.
Chytil has assists in each of his first two games of the season. The centre logged 9:17 of the third period in Tampa Bay and played 20:31 overall. It was the fifth-highest single-game ice time of his career and his second-highest in his time with the Canucks.
#Canucks Malhotra models the team’s tribute to John Garrett
The Canucks will honour the late John Garrett during tonight’s game. His family members will be in attendance. The club has special plans throughout the game, including a media meal featuring many of Cheech’s favourite foods. The players and coaching staff were also wearing special tribute t-shirts at the rink this morning.
The Opponent
The Hurricanes arrive in Vancouver on the heels of a 3-2 loss in Calgary on Sunday that snapped the team’s seven-game win streak. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored the Carolina goals, while Brandon Bussi made 31 saves in goal. The loss was the Hurricanes’ first on the road this season. They are now 5-1 away from home, outscoring opponents 23-14.
The Canes are dealing with a rash of injuries to their forward group, with Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal, veteran winger Taylor Hall, and Mark Jankowski all sidelined right now. Jankowski had scored in six straight games and has a share of the team lead in goals along with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Aho leads the club with 14 points while Svechnikov is second with 11.
Along with Staal, Hall, and Jankowski, Seth Jarvis also remains out of the lineup following shoulder surgery in the offseason. He is on the road trip and skating with the team, but has yet to make his season debut. It does not look like that will happen tonight. Jarvis has produced three straight 30+ goal, 65+ point seasons.
Carolina is second in the league in average shots per game (33.1) and third in fewest shots surrendered (22.9).
News and notes
The Canes beat the Canucks 7-2 on October 8th in Raleigh, NC. Kamloops native Logan Stankhoven scored a natural hat trick that night. Jake DeBrusk had both Vancouver goals.
Today is the day... @LoganStankoven will have about 250-300 Kamloops fans in Vancouver tonight as the @Canes play the Canucks.
The referees for tonight’s game are Graham Skilliter and Riley Brace. Brace worked both AHL games in Abbotsford over the weekend and returns to the NHL tonight. He was the official Filip Chytil collided with in preseason, leaving Chytil sidelined for two weeks with a shoulder injury.
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What are you actually trying to accomplish? Most people don’t want a mortgage. They want a first home, a bigger one, a rental property, or breathing room on their debt. Jason starts with that question. A mortgage broker for more than 20 years and named one of Canada’s top 30 mortgage brokers by Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine, Jason works with Dominion Lending Centres A.I.M.I. Collective, serving clients across British Columbia and Alberta. His clients include first-time buyers, move-up families, self- employed business owners, investors and homeowners looking to refinance. He lays out the real options, makes a clear recommendation, and does the legwork so the right lender says yes.
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$87,295,050
$71,329,167
Projected Cap Space
$16,704,950
$42,170,833
Current Cap Space
$18,625,059
$42,170,833
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1