The rebuilding Vancouver Canucks show early signs of progress after four games

Four games into the new NHL season, the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks are seeing signs of progress. They faced Pacific Division heavyweights in three of those games and went 2-2-0. Vancouver lost 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Goaltender Kevin Lankinen said afterward that he thinks the team has something good taking shape. It is not perfect or complete, he said, but the players are building a new system and culture and beginning to show it. The team needs to bring that effort every night for 60 minutes, and sometimes longer, he said, adding that Vancouver gave the Golden Knights a good push but still has room to improve.

Two high-scoring games against the Edmonton Oilers last week showed Vancouver can score when needed, while Saturday’s 4-1 comeback win over the Calgary Flames showed the Canucks can rally from a deficit. They tried to do so again Sunday, outshooting Vegas 9-2 in the third period, but ran out of time to find an equalizer. Lankinen called the third-period response a good sign, saying the team keeps pushing regardless of what happens. He said that shows character, energy and belief in the team’s structure and system.

There is still ample work to do. Vancouver is allowing an average of 4.75 goals per game, the sixth most in the league, and its penalty kill is at 68.8 per cent, the 10th worst. Lankinen said most games will not be perfect, and that the key is the group’s commitment and belief in its abilities, system and work together. He said he has a very good feeling about the team.

Expectations were low for Vancouver heading into the 2026-27 campaign. The Canucks finished last season at the bottom of the league standings with 58 points, prompting an overhaul of the front office and coaching staff. The new leadership has promised patience with the rebuild, taking time to develop talent and establish a foundation for future teams. Head coach Manny Malhotra said that, after four games, the lessons are beginning to show on the ice. On review, he likes many of the team’s structural elements; more importantly, he hears players communicating, understanding their reads and encouraging one another from the bench. Malhotra added that players are increasingly holding each other accountable by speaking up about winning puck battles and finishing checks, which he called a positive sign.

Some unexpected players have been valuable early in the season. Forward Paul Cotter opened the scoring with a first-period power-play goal Sunday and now has two goals and four assists. He has recorded at least one point in each of his four games in a Vancouver jersey. Cotter called the Canucks an “egoless group.” He said he was pleased with how the team has played despite widespread predictions that it would finish last, and that a close room willing to improve together can take a team a long way. Vancouver has already faced a couple of great teams and will keep trying to get better, he said.

Mitch Marner scored his first goal of the season Sunday, tying the game 1-1 midway through the second period. Brayden McNabb’s shot hit the skate of Canucks defenceman Zeev Buium and bounced to Marner. He carried the puck across the slot and shot from the low hash marks after seeing Lankinen out of the crease. Marner said he was probably looking for William Karlsson, but was glad he looked at the net first, saw the defenders out of position and tried to get the puck past the defenceman. It went in. Marner had 24 goals and 56 assists last season, his first with the Golden Knights.

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026.