logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Scenes from practice: Canucks shake up forward lines amid plenty of trade speculation
Vancouver Canucks lineup changes for Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Paterson
Mar 3, 2026, 17:03 ESTUpdated: Mar 3, 2026, 17:45 EST
Comments
In the wake of a 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Vancouver Canucks shook up their lines at practice on Tuesday morning at Rogers Arena.
It may feel like rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship at this point, but considering the team has just four goals in three straight losses since returning to action following the Olympic break, something had to be done.

What we saw

After benching Elias Pettersson on Saturday in Seattle and then pulling Jake DeBrusk from Pettersson’s line against the Stars, Adam Foote gave his beleaguered centre two new linemates at practice, placing Pettersson between Nils Höglander and Conor Garland. If you needed a statistic to underscore the plight of the Canucks these days – and this season – Höglander does not have a goal in the 21 games he’s played, Garland has gone 22 games without a goal and Pettersson, himself, is in the midst of a 13-game goal drought. And that’s the team’s new look top line with one game to go before Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
Liam Öhgren was promoted to a top-six role, skating on a line with Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser. That left Teddy Blueger to centre Drew O’Connor and Linus Karlsson while Evander Kane and Jake DeBrusk dropped down to play with David Kämpf. Aatu Räty took some turns at centre on that fourth line as the team conducted its practice drills. Max Sasson remains an extra player for the moment as he bides his time waiting to return to the lineup.
On defence, P-O Joseph, who was shaken up in the third period of the loss to Dallas and left the game, was not on the ice. Following practice, the team announced it had placed Joseph on IR to free up a roster spot for a replacement. Tyler Myers remains in trade limbo. The veteran blueliner practiced with the team on Tuesday, but the plan is to once again hold Myers out of the lineup on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, plans can change in a hurry at this time of year, and it’s entirely possible that Myers will be dealt before the Canucks face the Hurricanes, putting an end to a week-long saga that has seen him miss the past three games for asset protection reasons.
With Joseph on IR, the Canucks announced Tuesday afternoon they had recalled Victor Mancini from AHL Abbotsford. The Canucks will have a defence that consists of Mancini, Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson – all under the age of 24 – against one of the top teams in the league.

What we heard

Head coach Adam Foote on turning the page from the Dallas loss and preparing to face a strong Carolina team: “We’re working on some things – a lot of skating. Tomorrow we’re playing a team that presses up ice, they press on you pretty quick. So we were working on some regroups and managing the blueline a little bit better. We got a little bit of trouble yesterday when things didn’t go our way managing their blueline. We want to get the puck deep and put pressure on them.”
Conor Garland on trying to process all that has gone on and gone wrong for this hockey club this season: “I don’t think it does anybody good to go back and play ‘what ifs’. We’re in the present. We’re in a tough spot this year and there are going to be changes. All we can control is how well we play and how hard you compete and how well you practice and go about your business. I don’t think it’s any fun to go look in the past and see what could have happened.”
Sponsored by bet365

Editorials

Breaking News