NHL Player News

Ostlund picked up two assists in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The 22-year-old center had a hand in tallies by Mattias Samuelsson in the first period and Jack Quinn in the second, and Ostlund came away with a plus-1 rating despite the final score. With an eight-year contract extension in his back pocket and a spot in the top six, big things are expected from Ostlund in 2026-27 after he delivered 11 goals and 27 points in 60 regular-season games as a rookie last season.

Luukkonen stopped 17 of 22 shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets, with Columbus' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The Sabres grabbed an early 1-0 lead on a Mattias Samuelsson tally, but the Jackets stormed back with three goals before the end of the first period to go ahead for good, and Luukkonen couldn't stem the tide. Two of the pucks to get past the 27-year-old netminder came on power plays, but it was still a rough way to start the new season. With Alex Lyon (upper body) on the shelf, Luukkonen could see a heavy workload out of the gates -- Buffalo doesn't play back-to-back games until Oct. 12-13.

Hronek notched two assists, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Hronek helped out on goals by Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak. The 28-year-old Hronek has four helpers, three shots on net and six blocks across the first two contests of the season. While he has yet to log a hit, Hronek can still throw the body around while contributing plenty of offense. He has multi-category upside from the Canucks' top pairing, making him a decent depth option in fantasy.

Oleksiak scored a goal, dished an assist, added two PIM, doled out two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Oleksiak is off to a strong start in his first year with the Canucks, earning three points, five hits, four blocks and a minus-2 rating over two contests. The 33-year-old is seeing a resurgence in ice time so far as a top-four shutdown option while the Canucks shelter younger blueliners like Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander. Oleksiak has fallen short of the 20-point mark in three straight years, and while he may get more ice time for Vancouver than he did for Seattle, the offense is far from a guarantee to stick around.

Cotter scored a goal, dished an assist and added five hits in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Cotter has opened the season with back-to-back multi-point efforts. He was involved in the Canucks' first two goals Thursday, scoring their first before setting up Brock Boeser for the second. Cotter isn't seeing power-play time yet, but he could earn a role there if he continues to produce in a bottom-six role. He's added four shots, seven hits and a plus-3 rating, and the physicality should remain steady even once the offense fades.

Bains scored a goal and added an assist in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Bains made the Canucks' Opening Night roster and has featured in a bottom-six role to begin the season. These were his first two points of the year to go with two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 25-year-old winger had logged just six points over 49 career NHL games prior to this year, and he was limited to 24 points in 34 regular-season outings for AHL Abbotsford last year. Given his expected role on a weak team, Bains likely won't be a steady source of offense in 2026-27.

Boeser scored a goal on two shots, dished a power-play assist and added two hits in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Boeser has started the season well thanks to a couple of high-scoring games between these teams. He has one goal, two power-play assists and three shots on net over those contests. The 29-year-old winger is on the second line but also features on the first power-play unit. His 48 points last year represented his lowest total in four years, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him bounce back to the 50-55 point range in 2026-27.

Pettersson scored a power-play goal, added two assists and doled out eight hits in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Both of Pettersson's tallies this season have come on the power play. The Oilers' defense isn't anything to write home about, but Pettersson starting the year with four points over two games should give him some confidence. Prior to his plunge on offense over the last two seasons, he displayed point-per-game potential. It may be tough to get to that level this year, but it's worth it for fantasy managers to see if they can buy low on the 27-year-old if he's setting the foundation for a rebound year.

Rossi scored twice on four shots, dished a power-play assist, added two PIM and logged two hits in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Rossi was involved in three goals in a span of 5:44 early in the third period. The 25-year-old center is off to a positive start with four points, five shots on net and two hits across two games this season. While most of the Canucks' roster can be ignored in fantasy, Rossi's spot on the second line makes him a moderately intriguing option if he can keep his scoring numbers up.

Merilainen stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief of Kevin Lankinen in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Merilainen did his part in the latter half of the game, almost allowing the Canucks to put together a comeback. Lankinen has struggled heavily to start the campaign, though it's tough to expect Merilainen to do any better behind a roster that will be outmatched most of the time. Both goalies should get a start this weekend since the Canucks will host the Flames on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday.