10 Takeaways From The First 10 Games Of The Canucks’ 2026–27 Season

The Vancouver Canucks are officially 10 games into their 2026–27 season. Since starting the year with a 6–5 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on September 29, Vancouver has posted a record of 2–7–1, most recently taking a 4–2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Here are 10 takeaways from their first 10 games of the 2026–27 season. 

Vancouver’s penalty-kill had a horrendous start to the season, clicking at a success rate of only 52% before going perfect against the New York Islanders for the first time in a single game this season. They’ve only surrendered one power-play goal-against since — on Saturday against Tampa Bay. The big change Vancouver made is in their personnel, with their current main unit featuring Drew O’Connor, Filip Hronek, and Elias Pettersson (both the forward and defenceman). Speaking of Pettersson . . . 

Both Petterssons have had impressive starts to their respective 2026–27 seasons. The forward has looked noticeably more physically engaged through the first few games of the year, has helped drive play as a member of Vancouver’s top line alongside Jake DeBrusk and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and currently leads his team in points with 10 in 10 games. 

Pettersson, the defenceman, has arguably been the Canucks’ most impressive player to start the 2026–27 season. Both his offensive and defensive game have looked much more solid compared to the slow stretches he experienced last year, to the point where he’s even received a promotion to Vancouver’s top pairing beside Hronek. He’s played over 20 minutes in three of his past four games.  

If Pettersson isn’t Vancouver’s most impressive player after the first 10 games, the honour has to go to Leevi Meriläinen. The goaltender, picked up off waivers by the Canucks ahead of the start of the regular season, has impressed in every game he’s played in. Three of his four starts on the season have seen him record a save-percentage of .920% or higher. Vancouver’s close scores in losses have often been due to his play. 

Vancouver’s defenders haven’t had the greatest start to the 2026–27 season, both individually and collectively. Hronek’s decision-making has raised questions early, Zeev Buium hasn’t quite demonstrated the level of flair that’s been expected of him, and rotations have seen veterans Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn get subbed-out for Victor Mancini and Guillaume Brisebois. It’s early, so these struggles may not be read into too-much, but they’re definitely things to keep an eye on moving forward. 

The deployment of Max Sasson and changes in Vancouver’s roster have shown that speed is a priority for the organization and Head Coach Manny Malhotra. What’s made this even more apparent is the Canucks’ deal sending Aatu Räty to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr. While Räty may have had the makings of a third-line centre at the NHL level, his developing footspeed ultimately didn’t appear to fit Vancouver’s trajectory moving forward. 

One of the positives about Vancouver early on was that they didn’t have much trouble finding the back of the net. They currently sit tied for eighth in the NHL in goals-for with 30. Five of their skaters have scored three or more goals, with Paul Cotter leading the team with four tallies after his four-goal campaign through the first four games of the season. That said, their goals-for stats are significantly inflated by their 6–5 overtime win and 9–7 loss to the Oilers at the beginning of the year — they haven’t scored more than two goals since. 

Jonathan Lekkerimäki has taken strides since the 2025–26 season. The forward, who had question marks surrounding his trajectory during the off-season, has turned it on since the start of the year. He’s looked more confident with the puck, making good plays that have helped his team generate more offence. Lekkerimäki is currently tied with Hronek for the fifth-most points by a Canucks skater this season. 

While it is true that eight of Vancouver’s 10 games have resulted in losses, not all of these efforts have been fully negative. For the most part, the Canucks’ losses have featured fair comeback efforts, such as their strong second period against the Islanders or three-goal stunner against the Oilers. As a whole, their effort level has been consistent.   

The Canucks named six assistant captains ahead of the 2026–27 season — Pettersson, Buium, and Brock Boeser on the road, and O’Connor, Hronek, and Linus Karlsson at home — though leadership in the room stems past these players. The on and off-ice actions of the rest of the team have proven that Vancouver’s leaders aren’t just the players with letters on their jerseys. Veterans like Schenn and Brendan Gallagher have led the way in aspects such as off-ice habits, while young players like defenceman Pettersson have shown an edge in defending their teammates. 

As a whole, through their first 10 games of the season, Vancouver has demonstrated that they’re very much still a rebuilding team compared to the rest of the NHL. Despite strong-effort performances, such as their 3–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, they’ve still looked vastly outmatched. Given how many expect this team to perform this year, that’s not a bad thing. As long as Vancouver shows that they’re learning and developing throughout the year, the results in the standings won’t matter as much. 

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