Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra Explains The Reason Behind Marco Rossi's Lack Of Production This Year

There have been quite a few surprises for the Vancouver Canucks through their first 16 games of the 2026-27 season. One of the more shocking developments has been Marco Rossi's lack of production. The 25-year-old has just five points in 14 games, and just one assist over his last 12 appearances. 

The confusing part of Rossi's season is that he is not necessarily struggling to create chances. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has generated 14 individual high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, which ranks second on the team. Rossi also has 22 shots and is well on his way to surpassing the 100-shot mark for the third time in his career. 

Despite what, on paper, should result in some form of production, Rossi hasn't hit the scoresheet in four games. While there are multiple factors behind Vancouver's poor start, his lack of production has certainly played a role in the Canucks' 3-12-1 record. When asked about Rossi's lack of production, Head Coach Manny Malhotra gave some insight into why the Austrian center may be struggling. 

"Just in the conversations I've had with him, again, it comes back to doing things that'll give him an opportunity to have success offensively," said Malhotra. "And, if you look at a lot of his offensive sequences right now, he's on the perimeter. And he needs to do a much better job of just getting inside, getting around the paint, looking for dirty goals and rebounds, as opposed to looking for perimeter offence. And he understands that. He knows that. Looking at his goal package from last year, that's where he scores from. Is getting to the inside. So the messaging for all of our group is: we need to do a much better job of getting bodies to the paint and delivering pucks." 

At this stage of the campaign, something needs to change for Rossi. Maybe it is as simple as switching up his approach and crashing the net every chance he gets, as Malhotra said. Ultimately, his lack of production is a concerning trend that shouldn't be happening to an offensively minded player like Rossi. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Vancouver Canucks Reveal 2026 Hometown Remix Jersey, Will Debut On November 13

Plenty Of Ex-Canucks Expected To Visit Rogers Arena This November

Canucks Month In Review: October 2026

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.