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Canucks summer faceoff: Which is more likely – Lankinen 20 wins or Räty 30 points?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2026, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 28, 2026, 12:50 EDT
For the third straight year, we are conducting a late-summer thought exercise. This is the final article in a five-piece series where we present a pair of options and ask you which is more likely to occur. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, of course, it’s impossible to know how things will go for the Vancouver Canucks this season. So we will present cases for both scenarios, and we’re looking for your gut reaction to which one is more likely to happen by season’s end.
Which is more likely to happen: Kevin Lankinen wins 20 games, or Aatu Räty collects 30 points?
Kevin Lankinen
Like many of his teammates from last season, Lankinen needs a bounce-back season. He won just 11 of his 43 starts last season while posting a 3.70 GAA, an .875 save percentage and dealing with a family matter that forced him to take a brief leave from the team last November. The likeable Finn struggled behind a brutal defensive environment, but rather than being the last line of defence and bailing out the team in front of him, he seemed to lose his way. He can be better, and he needs to be. But how much game action will he see? Much of that depends on Thatcher Demko’s health and readiness. If Demko makes a full recovery from hip surgery and is an option, he certainly slots in ahead of Lankinen on the team’s depth chart. But Demko’s health is far from certain, which could mean more opportunities for Lankinen, who won 25 of his 49 starts two years ago in his first season in Vancouver. The team as a whole won just 25 times last season, so does the math add up for Lankinen to get to 20 wins on his own in 2026-27? There is probably a path for that to happen, but a lot of things would have to fall Lankinen’s way.
Aatu Räty
It’s hard to put offensive projections on Räty. But if he’s going to be the Canucks third line centre, there has to be some expectations of a bottom line. His four goals and 14 points in 66 games last season certainly underwhelmed. Now, there are other areas where Räty can and has to contribute to the hockey club – faceoffs and penalty killing immediately spring to mind. But can the 23-year-old Finn show any kind of consistency to his offensive game this season? He had 40 points in just 43 games in Abbotsford two seasons ago and 52 points on the farm the year before that. So there has been an offensive spark at the American Hockey League level. Can Räty produce in the NHL while rounding out the other areas of his game? The 30-point threshold seems within reach, but then again, only five forwards on the team cracked the 30-point mark last season, and this team could struggle to generate offence as a group.
Which is more likely to happen?
If Kevin Lankinen wins 20 games this season, it’s probably a case of ‘good for him and bad for Thatcher Demko.’ Because it seems the only route to 20 victories for Lankinen is if Demko gets injured again and can’t play. I could see a world where they each win 15 games, helping the Canucks reach the 30-win mark overall. But 20 for Lankinen on his own feels like a long shot. It could happen, but I doubt it will. As for Räty, should the Canucks expect 10 goals and 20 assists? That feels like a reasonable target, especially if he gets the opportunities he’s looking for under Manny Malhotra. He’ll need help from his wingers, but he’ll need to do his part to help them, too.
Verdict
While it won’t be easy, I think Aatu Räty has a better chance of getting to 30 points than Kevin Lankinen does of reaching 20 wins. It’s going to be a struggle for the Canucks again this season, and team victories could very well be in short supply. That will keep the goaltending win totals down, too. But when it comes to skaters, there’s no reason that Räty can’t level up individually and prove his worth moving forward. He should have a terrific opportunity to be an every-night player, and it’s up to him to make the most of it.
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