Vancouver had three new players join the team in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Despite suffering a 3–2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Vancouver Canucks showed signs of life amidst a big roster shift. Making their Canucks debuts were Filip Chytil, Marcus Pettersson, and Drew O’Connor. Let’s take a look at how each of these players factored into the team’s performance.

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Filip Chytil

Chytil demonstrated immense patience with his first goal as a Canuck. He played alongside Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland on the team’s second line and didn’t look a single bit out of place. With him and the new additions in the lineup, Vancouver looked much speedier than they have in the past. He was very noticeable on Sunday night and was arguably the team’s best forward. He played the second-most minutes of any forward on the team with 20:03, with only Garland ahead of him. Of 12 faceoffs taken, he won nine, including the draw taken to open overtime. His new role on the Canucks as the second-line centre gives him more responsibilities than what he has previously been tasked with as a member of the New York Rangers — so far, it seems like he’s taking that role in stride.

Marcus Pettersson

Pettersson (MP3, according to some on X) came into the lineup in a game that may not have played into his favour. The team was without Quinn Hughes, making it more likely that he would have to absorb more minutes than what will be asked of him in the future. He played a total of 25:57 throughout the game, second only to Filip Hronek on the entire team. Regardless, his presence on the blueline was a refreshing one. His mobility was on full-display during the game, as he brought a refreshing change to the blueline while paired with Tyler Myers. A couple of areas that really stood out about Pettersson’s game were his IQ and poise — he read opposing plays well and had the confidence to accomplish some breakout passes to spring his team on chances.

Drew O’Connor

O’Connor fit onto his line with Kiefer Sherwood and Pius Suter like a glove. He was noticeable virtually off the bat, putting effort into his forechecking as many expected him to. Speed was a big reason as to why he was acquired, and he delivered on all accounts on that front. He played 14:04 of the game which, while on the lower side of the roster, still isn’t bad for a debut. On 5-on-5, he recorded a corsi-for percentage of 60.87% and a goals-for expected percentage of 76.08%. His line ended the game with a corsi-for of 65%.

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