Rebuilding Vancouver Canucks look to set new foundation as NHL season begins

Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson, centre, Filip Hronek, front right, and their teammates listen to head coach Manny Malhotra, not seen, during the opening day of the NHL hockey team's training camp, in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — The metrics of success have changed for the Vancouver Canucks.

After a disastrous season where the team finished last in the NHL standings, the Canucks have entered a rebuild where progress means more than wins and losses.

There’s a difference between losing games and playing losing hockey, said rookie head coach Manny Malhotra.

“It goes without saying mistakes are going to be made on the ice, but it’s the frequency of those mistakes and how often you see those mistakes,” he said at training camp in Penticton, B.C.

“And then it comes down to the intangibles — the intensity at which you play your system, the tenacity on pucks, the ability to win puck battles, win races. When all those things come together and you become a team that’s hard to play against, for me, that’s winning.”

That doesn’t mean the Canucks won’t be working their hardest when they kick off the season against the Oilers in Edmonton on Tuesday.

Hockey players simply aren’t wired to accept losing, said defenceman Zeev Buium.

“Doesn’t matter what your expectations are going into a year,” he said. “Everyone’s competitive here. Everybody wants to win every game.

“And I definitely do agree that there is a way to lose. If you’re losing because you weren’t working hard and you were just kind of taking the night off, it’s not acceptable. But some nights you just get beat.”

The Canucks got beat a lot last season.

After a spate of early season injuries, Vancouver dealt captain and star defenceman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren and a first-round draft pick.

The losses continued to mount and the Canucks finished the campaign with a 25-49-8 record, prompting an overhaul of the front office and coaching staff.

General manager Patrik Allvin was fired a day after Vancouver capped the season with a 6-1 loss to the Oilers, and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford stepped down weeks later.

Ownership brought in local legends Daniel and Henrik Sedin as co-presidents of hockey operations, and their former teammate Ryan Johnson was elevated from GM of the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, to GM of the NHL club.

The new brass fired Adam Foote after a single season as head coach and replaced him with Malhotra, another former Canuck who guided Abbotsford to a championship title in 2025.

Over the summer, Johnson brought in some NHL veterans — including former Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher and journeyman defenceman Luke Schenn — to help guide Vancouver’s raw talent through the rebuild.

The ensuing product was hailed by players at training camp.

“I think we’re a really hungry group this year,” Rossi said. ”Last year was last year. Now it’s over. It’s a new year. We are all really excited, we have a good energy in our group. Everyone’s positive, so we’re all excited.”

Goalie Kevin Lankinen echoed the centre’s sentiments.

“A lot of positive vibes, positive energy around the group, around the whole organization,” he said. ”I feel like the standard is pretty high. Manny is super intense, but at the same time, he’s really fair.”

The Canucks will be looking for some of their up-and-coming talent to earn spots on the NHL roster this season, and for other established players to rediscover the skills that made them stars.

Scoring could be a problem if snipers such as Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk struggle again. Pettersson tallied 15 goals and 51 points last season, while Boeser had 22 goals and 48 points, and DeBrusk chalked up 23 goals and 42 points.

While few onlookers are expecting Vancouver to make big gains in the standings this season, Pettersson said the team could have what it takes to surprise people.

“I think with the good coaching we have now and the standards we’re trying to build, I think we just build on that, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Demko’s return

Vancouver is expected to start the season without star goalie Thatcher Demko, who was limited to just 20 appearances last season and underwent season-ending hip surgery in late January. He went 8-10-1 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.

The 30-year-old American netminder was at training camp but did not participate with the main groups, and Johnson has said the team does not have a timeline for his return.

Buium’s boost

He has yet to play a full NHL season, but Buium has already earned a big payday.

The 20-year-old blueliner from San Diego, Calif., inked an eight-year, US$75-million extension with the Canucks this summer.

Buium, who put up six goals and 26 points between the Canucks and Wild last season, said he’s eager to show he’s worthy of the cash by building his everyday game.

“It’s obviously going to be a process — there’s going to be highs, there’s going to be lows, and just try to stay as consistent as possible,” he said. “For me personally, I just want to do the best I can, and help bring this place to where we want to go.”

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published Sept. 27, 2026.