CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Canucks summer faceoff: Which is more likely – Lekkerimäki scores 20 goals or Chytil plays 50 games?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2026, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 21, 2026, 19:16 EDT
For the third straight year, we are conducting a late-summer thought exercise. Over the next week, we will present a pair of options for the upcoming Vancouver Canucks season 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. 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: Jonathan Lekkerimäki scores 15 goals or Filip Chytil plays 50 games?
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
It’s a big ask to expect Jonathan Lekkerimäki to go from an injury-shortened season to being a 20-goal scorer. But it also feels like something that has to happen if the 22-year-old is going to make significant strides in his young National Hockey League career. This is a player that has just five NHL goals to his name in 37 big league games spread across two seasons.
On a rebuilding team, Lekkerimäki needs to play and play a lot. He needs to find a spot in the team’s top six, and he also needs to feature on the Canucks power play. It’s time to find out if the 2022 first-rounder can hold his own at this level and not just as a goal scorer. For a player that has demonstrated the ability to put pucks in the net at every other level, a 20-goal projection doesn’t seem out of the question. It’s possible it’s a season too soon to expect 20 from him, but that’s where we’re setting the bar for this exercise.
Lekkerimäki has to be fearless and willing to use his heavy shot when he has the puck on his stick. He managed just 10 shots on goal in the 13 games he played last season. That rate simply won’t cut it this coming season. The Canucks need their young sniper to shoot and shoot often.
Filip Chytil
Speaking of big asks, it’s fair to put Filip Chytil staying healthy and being available to the Canucks for much of the season in that category. Injuries are part of Chytil’s story, and last year was pretty much a write-off for the 26-year-old centre who managed to dress for just a dozen games. It’s the second time in the past three seasons he’s been limited to 12 outings or fewer contests.
When healthy, Chytil brings much-needed speed and skill to the lineup. He got off to a promising start last season with a pair of goals on opening night and another three games later. Unfortunately, those were the only points he picked up before he dealt with a couple of head injuries. Chytil’s final game of the season came on February 2nd, so by the time training camp arrives, he will have had more than seven months to recover and prepare for the new season.
There are questions about whether he is better suited to play centre or the wing at this stage of his career. It’s a contract season, so he will be motivated to stay healthy and put the injury issues behind him. He’s been defiant in the past that too much is made about his injury history, but it’s impossible to ignore. The injury issue is also, to some degree, out of his control. So he truly is a wild card heading into the 2026-27 season.
Which is more likely to happen?
Before he can set – and score – goals, Jonathan Lekkerimäki has to prove he is fully recovered from season-ending shoulder surgery. And that’s a legitimate concern for him and the team starting into the new season. Opportunity is certainly knocking for the young Swede, but there are questions about whether he’ll be able to answer. If he’s not fully ready from the start of the season, getting to 20 goals could be far-fetched. Meanwhile, it may not be fair to Filip Chytil, but he no longer gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his availability. And even if he has a promising training camp and preseason, the regular season is a different matter altogether. Can Chytil withstand the physical toll that comes with life in the NHL?
Verdict
I have to hedge and go with Lekkerimäki on this one. A lot will have to go right for him to reach the 20-goal mark. But I think he’s a far better candidate to get there than Chytil is to play 50 games at this stage of his career.
The Future is Daily Faceoff Vancouver
The future of hockey coverage is bigger than one team, one market, or one platform. By bringing our local hockey brands together under Daily Faceoff, we’re creating a more complete hockey experience — one that gives fans the best of local passion and league-wide expertise, all in one place. The community remains at the centre. The experience is simply expanding as part of the next evolution of how we cover the game.
Welcome to Daily Faceoff Vancouver – Driven by hockey.
Breaking News
- Canucks summer faceoff: Which is more likely – Lekkerimäki scores 20 goals or Chytil plays 50 games?
- 31 days, 31 questions: What should the Canucks feel good about heading into 2026-27?
- The 2026-27 season has to be the one where Victor Mancini makes an impact on the Canucks roster
- Win, draw or loss: Grading all 41 Canucks trades in the Rutherford-Allvin regime
- An in-depth look at the San Jose Sharks in 2026-27: Canucks Pacific Previews
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
Projected Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
2
1
2
2
2
3
1
1