VANCOUVER — Four games into a new NHL season, the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks see signs of progress. The team took on Pacific Division heavyweights in three of the four matchups and held their own, going 2-2-0 across the stretch. “I think we’ve got something good cooking here,” goalie Kevin Lankinen said after the Canucks fell 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. ”Of course, it’s not perfect. It’s not complete yet. But we’re building a new system, building a new culture, and we’re showing some glimpses of that. “Now we’ve just got to keep showing that every single night, 60 minutes and sometimes even more than that. So we gave them a good push today, but I think we’ve still got better.” A pair of high-scoring affairs against the Edmonton Oilers last week showed Vancouver can put up goals when needed, and a 4-1 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday proved the Canucks can rally from a deficit. The team pressed to repeat the feat on Sunday, outshooting the Golden Knights 9-2 across the third period, but ran out of time to find an equalizer. The way the group bounced back in the third period is a good sign, Lankinen said. “No matter what happens, we always give a good push and that shows a lot of character, shows that we’ve got a lot of fuel in the tank, and we believe in our own structure, we believe in our system,” he said. There’s still ample work to be done. Vancouver is averaging 4.75 goals-against per game, the sixth most in the league, and has the 10th-worst penalty kill (68.8 per cent). The players know the road to success is still long and winding. “Like I said, it’s not perfect. Most of the nights it’s not going to be perfect,” Lankinen said. “But the most important thing is what we have here, the commitment or belief in our own abilities and the system and what we’ve got going on here. And I have a really good feeling about this team.” Little was expected of Vancouver heading into the 2026-27 campaign. The Canucks finished last season at the bottom of the league standings with just 58 points, prompting an overhaul of the club’s front office and coaching staff. The new brass have promised they’ll be patient with a rebuild, taking the time to develop talent and build a strong foundation future groups can succeed with. Four games in, the lessons are starting to take shape on the ice, said head coach Manny Malhotra. “In terms of when we watch it back, there’s a lot of elements that we like the way it looks structurally,” he said. “I think more importantly is when you hear the guys communicating on the ice and they’re understanding what the reads are and when they’re supposed to go, and they’re the ones encouraging each other from the bench.” Players are holding one another accountable, too, Malhotra added. “The expectation of coming up in puck battles or when guys should finish checks, that’s being voiced more and more by the group, which is definitely a positive sign for us,” he said. Some unexpected players have proven to be big assets for the Canucks early in the season. Forward Paul Cotter opened the scoring with a first-period power-play goal on Sunday and now has two goals and four assists on the season. He has at least one point in each of the four games he’s played in a Vancouver jersey. The Canucks are an “egoless group,” said the former New Jersey Devil. “For a team that everybody in the world has said ‘This (team) is going to be last in the league,’ I’m pretty happy with how we’ve been doing,” he said. “When you have a room that’s that close and willing to get better together, that can take you so far. So we’ve battled. We’ve had a couple great teams we’ve played against here early, and we’re going to continue to try to be better.” MARNER’S MARKER Mitch Marner tallied his first goal of the season on Sunday, levelling the score at 1-1 midway through the second period. Brayden McNabb’s shot hit the skate of Canucks defenceman Zeev Buium and pinged out to Marner, who dragged the puck across the slot and ripped a shot from the low hash marks when he saw Lankinen out of the crease. “In all honestly I’m looking probably for (William Karlsson),” the sniper said of the play. ”But I kind of looked at the net first, thankfully, and kind of saw that I had them out of position, and just tried to get it past that d-man. And luckily enough, it did.” Marner had 24 goals and 56 assists last season, his first in a Golden Knights’ jersey. This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published Oct. 5, 2026.
