It felt like a new day for the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks.In contrast with the damaging, desperate make-the-playoffs-and-anything-can-happen way this club has operated across the past decade and a half, the Canucks genuinely made moves that fit with a discernible long-term strategy.The club traded a pair of veterans in Marcus Pettersson and Nils Höglander, pocketing future assets three or four years down the line in both deals. The Canucks then replaced those players with high-character veterans in Jamie Oleksiak and Brendan Gallagher on shorter-term contracts, who were added to the roster without acquisition cost.The Canucks also added a trio of two-way contracts and signed a pair of reasonable one-year contracts to bolster their forward depth with Paul Cotter and their blue-line depth with Luke Schenn.There is more work for the Canucks to do, both to further subtract from this roster and to potentially flesh out their organizational depth in net, at right wing and on the back end (although owning the waiver priority hammer throughout training camp may be a profitable method of adding to this roster in September). And, of course, it should be noted that while the club made disciplined, sensible rebuilding moves, the short-term competitive outlook for this roster is decidedly bleak relative to the majority of other teams, even in the relatively weak Pacific Division.In the early stages of a rebuild, however, that bleak short-term outlook is a feature rather than a bug. It might be important for the Canucks to play more organized hockey next season, and that’s a low bar for the hockey team to clear with first-year bench boss Manny Malhotra, but it’s still absolutely vital that Vancouver find a way to finish toward the bottom of the NHL standings next season — especially given the apparent strength of the top of the 2027 NHL Draft class.With the stampede and silliness of the busiest parts of the offseason in the rear-view mirror, let’s check in on the state of the Canucks lineup. Where exactly do the Canucks stand at this point in early July, and what else do they need to accomplish before training camp opens in mid-September?Left WingJake DeBruskDrew O'ConnorPaul CotterLiam ÖhgrenMax SassonArshdeep BainsMacKenzie MacEachernVilmer AlrikssonJake DeBrusk was on the block throughout the latter half of June, and several teams did their homework on the streaky, net-front specialist 25-goal man. Ultimately, a DeBrusk deal didn’t materialize, and with the likes of Michael Bunting, Anthony Mantha, Patrick Kane, Eeli Tolvanen, Vladimir Tarasenko and James van Riemsdyk still unsigned at this still-early point of the offseason, it’s difficult to imagine that a worthwhile trade will be made as long as the market for unrestricted free agent wingers remains as stocked as it is at this juncture.One of Vancouver’s most consistent, workmanlike players last season, Drew O’Connor is entering a contract year and coming off a strong season in which he managed 17 goals and 29 points — which is really strong production given his lack of a regular power-play role. Given O’Connor’s affordability, expiring contract, speed, size and ability to complement more skilled players in a middle-six role, he could be a solid non-star trade asset for Vancouver in-season.Cotter was signed by the Canucks after the New Jersey Devils opted to non-tender the hard-hitting, speedy 26-year-old rush goal scorer. Cotter is an elite skater with some goal-scoring touch, but his utility as a top-nine player has generally been capped by some offensive limitations in the buildup. If the Canucks can find the right fit for Cotter, or can work with him to improve his offensive awareness on-puck, he has a relatively straightforward path to building himself into a solid non-star trade asset. Cotter is also a centre capable of filling in, though he’s better used on the wing.Liam Öhgren had a decent first season with the Canucks, flashing some skill and transitional ability while developing into a viable penalty-killing option. The extension-eligible 22-year-old has a ton of opportunity ahead of him this season, but the Canucks rarely generated much in his minutes. The penalty-killing prowess and physical play might keep Öhgren in an NHL lineup for the foreseeable future, but he will need to be more consistently creative in the offensive zone to develop into more than an O’Connor or Cotter-style best-used-in-a-bottom-six-role option.Max Sasson moved full-time to the wing in the second half of last season and succeeded in that role. His defensive play is still a bit inconsistent, but he’s a smart player who competes hard and has flashed some ability as an off-the-rush goal scorer.Arshdeep Bains has a one-way, fully guaranteed NHL salary for this season. He fell out of the mix for Vancouver last year despite being given significant opportunity early on, and will need to find a clear NHL-level calling card to stick, given his playmaking ability just hasn’t translated into sufficient production across 49 career NHL games.MacKenzie MacEachern is solid AHL organizational depth with size, while Vilmer Alriksson had a really difficult first season of North American professional hockey and will need to improve significantly over the summer to stay on track as a prospect with a shot to be an NHL player, especially given the high volume of wing talent the Canucks have coming after the 2026 draft.CentreElias PetterssonMarco RossiAatu RätyFilip ChytilBraeden CootesAkil ThomasTy MuellerIlya SafonovMatthew StienbergChase WoutersRiley PattersonElias Pettersson was on the trade block throughout June, but I don’t get the sense the Canucks ever got close to finding a deal for him.Marco Rossi was excellent for Vancouver once he was fully healthy down the stretch last season. Rossi has already emerged as Vancouver’s power-play quarterback, and if his form in the final two months of the 2025-26 season continues, it’s not at all out of the question that he could supplant Pettersson as Vancouver’s first-line centre at five-on-five, too.Vancouver allowed Teddy Blueger to walk in unrestricted free agency and has brought in no real NHL-level reinforcements at centre to this point in the summer. That’s bullish for Aatu Räty, who excelled for Finland at the World Championship and seems poised to get some real run as an everyday bottom-six player next season.You just hope that Filip Chytil can stay healthy and durable enough consistently to be an NHL option moving forward. Chytil is in a contract year, and this will be a huge season for the gifted Czech pivot.Braeden Cootes is poised to turn pro this fall, but the Canucks will have the option of playing him in the AHL as a 19-year-old due to changes in the CHL-NHL transfer agreement. Cootes has nothing left to learn in the WHL, looked like he put on a ton of weight over the past 12 months at development camp, and seems ready to begin his professional career.Akil Thomas is very familiar to Abbotsford general manager Rich Seeley from their shared time in Ontario and was brought in to provide the Canucks with upgraded organizational depth down the middle. He could absolutely open the season as a bottom-six player in Vancouver, either on the wing or down the middle.Ty Mueller is an organizational favourite and may have an opportunity to make this team out of training camp. His AHL scoring profile, however, and relatively advanced age (he’s already 23) probably cap his upside.Ilya Safonov is a no-risk lottery ticket. He has a European out clause and a big NHL-ready frame, but has indicated a willingness to spend time in the AHL if that’s what it takes.Matthew Stienburg is a physically assertive centre who missed most of last season due to injury. He’s an interesting dice roll with some ability to add toughness to the Canucks lineup, most likely in Abbotsford.Longtime Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters signed his first NHL standard player contract, which is an incredible achievement. Perhaps he’ll get into some NHL games down the stretch if the Canucks are deadline sellers.Riley Patterson broke out offensively in his draft-plus-two season in the OHL and has the speed and tenacity to beat the odds and carve out a path to top-nine upside. He’ll look to begin his professional career this fall.Right WingBrock BoeserBrendan GallagherLinus KarlssonJonathan LekkerimäkiTrey Fix-WolanskyAnri RavinskisGabe ChiarotBrock Boeser is a 25-goal scorer falling out of bed and a Canucks mainstay. Boeser is settled in Vancouver and has total contractual control over his future for the next three seasons.Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens last week, Gallagher is a high-character competitor who may still have some game even if he fell out of Montreal’s rotation during the playoffs.Linus Karlsson needs more opportunity to play up the lineup and will need to continue to earn that opportunity with a strong offseason. He was, without question, Vancouver’s most impactful two-way forward last season and might just be a legitimately good NHL player.Jonathan Lekkerimäki had season-ending surgery last winter, which is likely to delay him from addressing the biggest weaknesses in his game: his lack of high-end foot speed and strength. Patience will be called for, but at the same time, Lekkerimäki is running out of time to establish himself.Trey Fix-Wolansky is a star AHL point producer who plays the game hard. He’ll make training camp more competitive, and could be more difficult for young hopefuls to beat out for an NHL roster spot than you’d expect.Left DefenseJamie OleksiakZeev BuiumElias PetterssonKirill KudryavtsevGuillaume BriseboisJimmy SchuldtSawyer MynioOleksiak wasn’t used in a matchup role in Seattle last season, but he has a ton of experience chasing around the best offensive players on the planet and can fill that role in Marcus Pettersson’s absence.Zeev Buium will continue to get opportunities and had some dynamic on-puck moments last season. He’ll need to add strength to succeed against tough competition, and he’ll need power-play opportunities to realize his ceiling as an NHL blueliner.Elias Pettersson, the defenceman, had a really difficult second NHL season. We have to qualify that impression, however, by underlining how poor the environment was for a defensive-minded player with Pettersson’s skill set. An authoritative, physical defensive defender at his best, this will be an important season for Pettersson to demonstrate that he can be an additive defensive presence.Kirill Kudryavtsev is left-handed, but Manny Malhotra has typically used him on the right side during their shared time in Abbotsford. Kudryavtsev is probably the most advanced defensively of Vancouver’s stable of young blue liners.Guillaume Brisebois is about to play his 10th season for the organization, which is remarkable. Jimmy Schuldt provides some veteran stability in the AHL. Sawyer Mynio had a decent first AHL season in a challenging environment and is a real NHL prospect, albeit a relatively low-upside one given his archetype as a left-handed defensive defenceman without significant size.