The Vancouver Canucks have plenty of space heading into the 2026-27 season.
The wait is almost over as the Vancouver Canucks 2026-27 season is just a few weeks away. Vancouver will play its first pre-season game on Saturday and kick off training camp in Penticton on Thursday. Overall, the vibes have been positive around this group as a new management group, and some key additions seem to have sparked the players.
Unlike in the past, the Canucks will not be pushed against the salary cap ceiling this year. Instead, Vancouver is projected to enter the campaign with some of the most cap space in the league. Here is a breakdown of what the Canucks' salary cap could look like when the season kicks off.
The biggest question around the salary cap is what Vancouver does with Thatcher Demko. Ryan Johnson could place the goaltender on LTIR, but that is only valuable if the Canucks were pressed against the cap. The most likely option if Demko is not ready would be to put him on IR, which would mean the 30-year-old would not count as one of the 23 players on the active roster.
With Demko projected to start the campaign on IR, Vancouver would be able to carry three extra skaters to start the year. The most likely option if this happened would be two forwards and a defenceman. Below is a look at how the Canucks may structure their 23 player roster to start the season.
Forwards:
- Elias Pettersson- $11.6 m
- Brock Boeser- $7.25 m
- Jake DeBrusk- $5.5 m
- Marco Rossi- $5 m
- Filip Chytil- $4,437,500
- Brendan Gallagher- $3.25 m
- Drew O'Connor- $2.5 m
- Linus Karlsson- $2.25 m
- Paul Cotter- $2.15 m
- Max Sasson- $1 m
- Braeden Cootes- $974,167
- Jonathan Lekkerimäki- $918,333
- Liam Öhgren- $886,666
- Aatu Räty- $850,000
Defence:
- Filip Hronek- $7.25 m
- Jamie Oleksiak- $5 m
- Luke Schenn- $2.25 m
- Victor Mancini- $1 m
- Tom Willander- $972,500
- Zeev Buium- $966,667
- Elias Pettersson- $913,333
Goaltenders:
- Thatcher Demko (IR)- $8.5 m
- Kevin Lankinen- $4.5 m
- Nikita Tolopilo- $850,000
Assuming this is the roster on opening night, Vancouver's cap to start the year would be $87,035,833, as per PuckPedia. That would leave the Canucks with $16,964,167 in projected cap space. Vancouver also has only two retention spots remaining, as the third is being used as part of the Tyler Myers trade.
Ultimately, the Canucks are in a great cap situation heading into the 2026-27 season. The organization may even use the cap space to its advantage by taking on bad contracts if the opportunity arises. With the salary cap projected to rise year-over-year, it could be a few years before Vancouver is once again close to the ceiling.
Mar 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) and defenseman Zeev Buium (24) and defenseman Filip Hronek (17) celebrate their victory against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesMake 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.
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