The Vancouver Canucks will open the season in Edmonton on Tuesday, beginning a rebuild after finishing last in the NHL standings. Under rookie head coach Manny Malhotra, the club is setting expectations that extend beyond wins and losses, focusing on how consistently players compete and execute their system. Vancouver’s first game is against the Oilers, the team that beat the Canucks 6-1 in their final game last season.

Malhotra said there is a difference between losing a game and playing in a way that makes a team difficult to beat. He said at training camp in Penticton, B.C., that mistakes are inevitable, but their frequency is one measure of progress. “It goes without saying mistakes are going to be made on the ice, but it’s the frequency of those mistakes and how often you see those mistakes,” he said.

He also pointed to effort and execution away from the puck as standards for the team. “And then it comes down to the intangibles - the intensity at which you play your system, the tenacity on pucks, the ability to win puck battles, win races. When all those things come together and you become a team that’s hard to play against, for me, that’s winning.”

Defenceman Zeev Buium said players will still compete to win regardless of outside expectations. “Doesn’t matter what your expectations are going into a year,” he said. “Everyone’s competitive here. Everybody wants to win every game.” He agreed there are different ways to lose, adding: “And I definitely do agree that there is a way to lose. If you’re losing because you weren’t working hard and you were just kind of taking the night off, it’s not acceptable. But some nights you just get beat.”

Vancouver was beaten often last season, finishing with a 25-49-8 record after a stretch of early-season injuries. The club traded captain and star defenceman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a first-round draft pick. The losses continued, and the poor campaign led to a broad overhaul of the front office and coaching staff.

General manager Patrik Allvin was fired one day after the Canucks ended the season with the 6-1 loss to Edmonton. Jim Rutherford, the team’s president of hockey operations, stepped down weeks later. Ownership appointed former Canucks Daniel and Henrik Sedin as co-presidents of hockey operations, while Ryan Johnson, their former teammate, moved up from general manager of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks to become GM of the NHL team.

The new leadership dismissed Adam Foote after one season as head coach and hired Malhotra, another former Vancouver player. Malhotra had led Abbotsford to a championship title in 2025. During the summer, Johnson added NHL veterans, including former Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher and journeyman defenceman Luke Schenn, to help guide the team’s young players through the rebuild.

Rossi described the group’s mood at camp as positive. “I think we’re a really hungry group this year,” he said. “Last year was last year. Now it’s over. It’s a new year. We are all really excited, we have a good energy in our group. Everyone’s positive, so we’re all excited.” Goalie Kevin Lankinen said the energy extended across the organization and praised the standards set by the new coach. “A lot of positive vibes, positive energy around the group, around the whole organization,” he said. “I feel like the standard is pretty high. Manny is super intense, but at the same time, he’s really fair.”

The Canucks are looking for emerging players to earn roster spots and established players to regain the form that made them stars. Scoring remains a concern if Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk again have difficulty producing. Pettersson recorded 15 goals and 51 points last season; Boeser had 22 goals and 48 points; DeBrusk finished with 23 goals and 42 points.

Few observers expect Vancouver to make major gains in the standings this season, but Pettersson said the team could exceed expectations as it develops under its new coach. “I think with the good coaching we have now and the standards we’re trying to build, I think we just build on that, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

The club is also expected to start the season without star goalie Thatcher Demko. The 30-year-old American was limited to 20 appearances last season before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in late January. He finished 8-10-1 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. Demko attended training camp but did not take part in the main groups, and Johnson has said there is no timeline for his return.

Buium, a 20-year-old defenceman from San Diego, Calif., is entering the season with an eight-year, US$75-million contract extension signed with Vancouver over the summer, despite not yet having played a full NHL season. He recorded six goals and 26 points between the Canucks and Wild last season. Buium said he intends to earn the deal through steady improvement. “It’s obviously going to be a process - there’s going to be highs, there’s going to be lows, and just try to stay as consistent as possible,” he said. “For me personally, I just want to do the best I can, and help bring this place to where we want to go.” The Canadian Press first published this report on Sept. 27, 2026.

Based on reporting by Global News Edmonton.