Lineup Notes: Chytil Makes Season Debut As Canucks Battle The Panthers

The Vancouver Canucks continue their six-game road trip on Thursday with a visit to the Florida Panthers. Last season, the two teams split their head-to-head matchup, with each picking up a victory. Here are the lineup notes for October 15, 2026. 

Vancouver's projected starter for Thursday is Leevi Meriläinen. The 24-year-old is coming off an impressive performance on Tuesday, where he stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced. This year, Meriläinen is 1-1-0 with a save percentage of .926. 

The Canucks look to be getting a major part of their lineup back as Filip Chytil is projected to make his season debut against the Panthers. The 27-year-old was injured in the pre-season and started the year on IR. Last season, Chytil scored three goals in the 12 games he played. 

Finally, Manny Malhotra appears to be making some changes to his lineup. Chytil and Victor Mancini look to be coming in, while Arshdeep Bains and Luke Schenn appear to be healthy scratches. The organization also placed Aatu Räty on waivers Wednesday with the intention of assigning the center to the Abbotsford Canucks. 

DeBrusk-Pettersson-Lekkerimäki
Öhgren-Rossi-Karlsson
Cotter-Chytil-Boeser
O'Connor-Sasson-Gallagher

Pettersson-Hronek
Oleksiak-Willander
Buium-Mancini

Meriläinen
Lankinen

Start time: 4:00 pm PT 

Venue: Amerant Bank Arena 

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: KiSS West Coast 

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