A preview of Canucks forward Aatu Räty's 2026-27 season.
Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s 2026–27 player preview article series. This series will outline the expectations for every player projected to play for the Canucks during the 2026–27 season. Today’s player is Canucks center Aatu Räty.
Räty’s 2025–26 Season
Aatu Räty’s 2025-26 season began after coming off a pair of charley horse injuries that sidelined him during the Abbotsford Canucks’ Calder Cup championship run. He also signed a two-year, $1.625 million contract extension.
Räty’s season was a bit of a weird one, as a lot of it was either spent in the faceoff circle or the press box. He was dominant in the dot, posting a faceoff percentage of 60.5%, which was good for fifth-best in the league among players who took at least 400 faceoffs. However, Räty was also a healthy scratch multiple times under former head coach Adam Foote. He finished the season with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 66 games, which was a career high for him.
The center's biggest strength by far is his faceoff game. At only 23 years old, Räty was called upon to take a good chunk of the pivotal faceoffs for the Canucks. 25.1% of his shifts started in the defensive zone, the highest percentage among all Canucks players in 2025-26. He finished the season with a minus -4 rating, though this was also the best among players who played at least 60 games.
We also saw Räty embrace the physical side of being a bottom-six forward. His 165 hits were the most among players who finished the season in Vancouver. Räty has already shown he can handle the responsibilities of a bottom six center. The question now is can he add enough offence to become more than that? As previously mentioned, his 14 points were a career high, but there is definitely another level to Räty’s offensive game.
Räty only had 65 shots on goal in 2025-26, and he needs to improve his skating and quickness. His maximum skating speed was 21.33 mph, which was below the 50th percentile. That speed was recorded in the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 6th.
After the season, Räty represented Finland at the World Hockey Championship, where he recorded seven points in 10 games. To nobody’s surprise, he was also dominant in the faceoff circle, posting a 64.39% winning percentage on draws.
Räty’s 2025–26 Letter Grade
The Hockey News - Canucks site gave Raty a C+ for his 2025-26 season. While proving he can be one of the best in the league in the faceoff dot, Raty spent time out of the lineup, and didn’t produce enough offensively as many would have hoped.
Räty’s 2026–27 Predictions
Ever since the departure of J.T. Miller, the Canucks have had a hole at center. It’s safe to assume Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi will be the team’s top two centers, and with Teddy Blueger signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Räty should have the inside track on the third-line center role.
If Filip Chytil is healthy, and that’s a huge if given his injury history, the forward could make the move to wing. With Manny Malhotra now the Canucks’ new bench boss, someone Räty had success playing under after putting up 40 points in 43 games in 2024-25 in the AHL, Räty shouldn’t be seen sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch this season.
In 2025-26, Räty showed that he’s reliable in the defensive zone and in the faceoff circle, and he will have a full off-season to train, unlike last year when he was recovering from his injuries. Räty needs to find ways to contribute more on the scoresheet, and with Malhotra, he should have a longer leash to do so.
Räty came into his draft year projected to go in the top 10. His career hasn’t gone the way many had hoped, but he is still only 23 years old. He may not end up becoming the top-six forward he was once projected to be, but he has a huge opportunity this season to prove that he can be a pivotal bottom-six center. If he can find ways to become more of a threat in the offensive zone while maintaining his reliability in the defensive zone, Räty could establish himself as the Canucks’ long-term third-line center. The door is wide open for him to do so.
Bold Prediction: Räty leads the league in faceoff percentage.
Mar 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Aatu Raty (54) prepares for a face off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesCanucks 2026–27 Player Previews:
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