The Canucks close a shortened preseason against the Seattle Kraken Saturday, with coach Manny Malhotra pointing to a step up in pace and intensity.
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The Vancouver Canucks play their fourth and final preseason game on Saturday evening against the Seattle Kraken as regular season action approaches on Tuesday. The league’s shortened preseason means the Canucks’ veterans will have only their second game of the preseason, following Thursday’s match against the Edmonton Oilers.
Head coach Manny Malhotra said the team’s practice week is set up to raise its level of play. “We discussed it today before practice, it’s an elevation in the overall intensity of our game,” Malhotra said Friday. He added that cleaner execution should translate into a faster tempo: “When you get clean, and the execution gets a little better, the pace goes up.”
The Canucks’ projected lines for Saturday reflect both a push for more game-ready intensity and a chance for younger players to earn roles. Vancouver has an earlier start scheduled for 4 p.m., and the team did not hold a game-day skate; however, the projected groupings are described as unlikely to change from the lines used on Friday’s open practice.
For Vancouver, the projected top pairing is Jake DeBrusk with Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Liam Öhgren, Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser are projected together on the second line, while Drew O’Connor centres Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson on the third line. Arshdeep Bains joins Paul Cotter and Brendan Gallagher at fourth line centre.
The projected forward group also lists Zeev Buium with Filip Hronek, plus Jamie Oleksiak paired with Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson partnered with Luke Schenn. In goal, the Canucks are expected to start Kevin Lankinen. The Canucks claimed Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from the Ottawa Senators on Friday, but the Finnish goaltender may not be in Vancouver yet.
The projected lineup highlights an opportunity for Jonathan Lekkerimäki to play significant minutes alongside DeBrusk and Pettersson. The available assessment notes Lekkerimäki has recorded three secondary assists in the preseason but has not yet shown the full impact expected, citing limited puck-battle effectiveness and difficulties carrying through contact. It also points to his shot-making as an element that could become more dangerous with more consistent access to space.
Other lineup movement is influenced by injury and availability. A move at centre is expected after Filip Chytil’s injury, with Paul Cotter projected to step in at centre. The material also indicates Aatu Räty could take that role when the regular season begins, while Räty is ineligible for Saturday’s game because he has already played two preseason games.
On the Seattle side, the Kraken are dealing with uncertainty around their most established preseason piece. Mackie Samoskevich, expected to be on the top line, is injured and won’t make the trip to Vancouver, leaving the groupings in flux without a game-day skate for Seattle. As a result, one projected change is that Samoskevich is replaced by Ryan Winterton, though Winterton “may not actually play,” with an update expected closer to game time.
Seattle’s projected lines list Jared McCann with Matty Beniers and Ryan Winterton, followed by Bobby McMann centring Chandler Stephenson and Jordan Eberle. Kaapo Kakko plays alongside Berkly Catton and Shane Wright, while Curtis Douglas is projected with Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and Ben Meyers. The defensive pairings are listed as Vince Dunn with Adam Larsson, and Ryker Evans with Brandon Montour, followed by Ryan Lindgren and Cale Fleury. Joey Daccord is expected to start in goal for the Kraken, with Philipp Grubauer also included on the goaltending list.
With regular season competition three days away, the intent of Saturday’s game is framed as more than just results. Malhotra’s emphasis on “elevation” and improved execution sets the context for how Vancouver is trying to arrive at opening week, while Seattle’s lineup variability underscores the likelihood that early game minutes could be used to settle roles quickly in the final preseason test.
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