The Vancouver Canucks begin the 2026-27 season Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, with projected lines led by Jake DeBrusk alongside Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki.
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The Vancouver Canucks open the 2026-27 season Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, according to the projected lineups published ahead of the Sept. 29 matchup.
During training camp, Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra said, “There’s a very big difference between losing games… and playing losing hockey.”
The Canucks projected lines for the opener are led by Jake DeBrusk – Elias Pettersson – Jonathan Lekkerimäki, with Liam Öhgren – Marco Rossi – Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson also set in the projection. Arshdeep Bains – Paul Cotter – Brendan Gallagher is projected on the next line.
Zeev Buium – Filip Hronek and Jamie Oleksiak – Tom Willander are listed among the projected pairings for the forwards mix, with Elias Pettersson – Luke Schenn projected together. In goal, the opening-night projection has Kevin Lankinen starting.
Brendan Gallagher is projected to play his first game with the Canucks, nearly 14 years after his last game with the Vancouver Giants. Gallagher said, “They bring a lot of life to the locker room and enjoyment to the game; it’s fun to see the excitement,” adding, “It’s a really good young core, and they show up every day, ready to work and put in the time, and they’re excited to be Vancouver Canucks. So, it’s fun to be around.”
Aatu Räty is projected to be a healthy scratch for opening night, with Paul Cotter stepping in at centre.
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