Maybe the Canucks Aren’t as Badly Built as They Look

A Canucks roster review I read this morning is one that I find interesting. Not because I agree with all of it. Actually, I don't. It comes from a source I read regularly: Luca Pampena’s Pacific Division Preview 2026-2027. The review basically says Vancouver has a pretty lousy roster, especially on defence, and that the players don't fit what new coach Manny Malhotra wants. Fair enough. Nobody is going to confuse this team with a Stanley Cup contender.

Is Pampena correct in his assessment? Here’s why I don’t think so.

But here's the thing: I think that misses what the Canucks are actually trying to build. This isn't a team that was supposed to be finished this summer. It’s a rebuild. Some of the big names have been moved, draft capital has been collected, and now the organization has to figure out what some of these younger players can become.

Take the defence. Filip Hronek probably isn't the ideal No. 1 defenceman. Yes, Zeev Buium is only 20 and still has plenty to learn. Yes, Tom Willander isn't ready to carry the blue line. And that's more of the point. Vancouver doesn't need Buium to be a finished product today. It needs to find out what Buium can become. Same with Willander. Same with the young forwards.

Malhotra has to be a good coach. There’s no question about that.

That's where I think the Malhotra hire becomes more interesting than the roster ranking. If Malhotra wants his team to play with structure, defend properly, pressure the puck and make opponents work for their chances, I'm perfectly happy with that. In fact, I'd argue that's exactly what a young rebuilding team should be learning.

This probably won’t produce pretty hockey. There may be plenty of dump-ins. There may be plenty of nights when Vancouver struggles to generate offence. There may even be games when the Canucks spend far too much time defending.

But if a 20-year-old defenceman learns where he's supposed to be, if a young centre learns how to play without the puck, and if a prospect learns that NHL hockey isn't just about making the fancy play, then the season hasn't been wasted.

That's the part of the Canucks’ rebuild that sometimes gets lost.

We're always looking at the standings and asking whether a team is getting better. With a team like Vancouver, the better question might be whether the players are getting better. And that's a different measurement.

Maybe Pampena is right that the Canucks aren't built to win with Malhotra's system right now. I wouldn't argue with that. But I'm not sure that's the test. The Canucks don't need Manny Malhotra to turn this roster into a playoff team. They need him to help turn a collection of young players into NHL players.

If he can do that, Vancouver might have a pretty good coach for the next stage of the rebuild. The standings can take care of themselves. The development can't.