On Saturday, as the rain ripped through downtown Vancouver accompanied by a remarkable and atypical flash thunderstorm that lit up the sky, it was impossible to ignore the harsh reality that summer is nearly over.Over the next 10 days, players will begin to file into the city in droves to take part in captain’s skates ahead of the opening of Canucks training camp in Penticton on Sept. 17.This year the NHL season will begin earlier — for the first time in franchise history Vancouver will play its first regular-season game in September — as the league shuffles around its calendar to accommodate the new 84-game schedule. Preseason is also shorter this year and will begin before training camp has even concluded. For hopefuls on the fringes of the league, the runway to make an NHL roster out of training camp will be shorter this September than ever.As we begin to think about the precise shape of this rebuilding Canucks roster, let’s begin that process by offering our best way-too-early projection of what Vancouver’s opening-night 23-man roster is shaping up to look like.This article is an annual exercise, based on a mix of conjecture, educated guesswork and what I’m hearing from team sources. We’ll dive deep into which veteran players are locked into roster spots to open the season, who’s a dark horse worth keeping an eye on (for what it’s worth, our “dark horse” pick each year has made the roster out of training camp in consecutive seasons), and which players have something to prove when training camp begins in Penticton.LocksElias Pettersson, the centrePettersson isn’t so far removed from being a top-10 centre in the NHL that we can just totally rule out the possibility of regaining his once-elite form. But the odds on Vancouver’s enigmatic first-line centre seem to be getting longer with every month that goes by without him flashing that “Bro, do your dekes” level of offensive juice he once possessed in abundance.Filip HronekHronek has made it abundantly clear that he wants to play in Vancouver, and he remains a top-of-the-lineup defenceman with underrated power-play utility.Brock BoeserBoeser found chemistry late in the season on Marco Rossi’s right wing. He’s the heavy favourite to lead all Vancouver wingers in ice time this season.Marco RossiWith 20 points in his final 25 games, Rossi had something of a breakout after the Olympic break last season.Jamie OleksiakSigned on July 1 to a two-year deal worth $10 million in total salary, Oleksiak is a reliable defensive-minded defenceman and penalty killer. His presence and performance will be a key factor in whether Vancouver can design an environment that’s conducive to developing its younger blueliners at the NHL level.Kevin LankinenLankinen’s performance was inconsistent last season. It’s worth noting, however, that he was dealing with family matters off the ice and that the seams are always likely to show if he’s too heavily used as an everyday, workhorse starter. The contract may not be ideal, but he’s a sturdy 1B option.Filip ChytilChytil has the size, skill and speed to be an impact player in the NHL, but a variety of injuries — most notably a series of concussions — have limited him to just 78 games across the past three seasons.Brendan GallagherGallagher found himself on the outside looking in for the Montreal Canadiens during the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring. On this roster, however, I’d expect him to hold down a significant role.Even if Gallagher’s game is diminishing too rapidly for him to be an effective top-six fixture, and I’m not convinced that’s the case, his impact as a leader should be significant during this rebuilding campaign.Drew O’ConnorA pending unrestricted free agent, O’Connor is a solid, no-nonsense two-way winger capable of playing just about anywhere in the lineup. Finding a way to feature and showcase O’Connor has to be a significant priority for the organization.Linus KarlssonKarlsson was Vancouver’s best, most consistent forward last season. He’s got the defensive game, down-low playmaking and net-front touch to be a featured part of this Canucks lineup, but will his foot speed and fitness level improve enough for him to handle a 15-minutes-a-night role in the NHL?Luke SchennSchenn has fought off Father Time for years, but it may have begun to catch up to him somewhat last season in Winnipeg and Buffalo. A class professional, Schenn is a massive add for the locker room.Paul CotterA fast-skating, heavy-hitting, versatile forward, Cotter has every tool you could want from a middle-six NHL player. He’s just never really put it all together.Max SassonSasson established himself as a full-time NHL player last season. His speed makes an impact in the bottom six, and he’s become an efficient rush finisher.Zeev BuiumBuium stood out among Vancouver’s young defencemen last season for his competitive mentality and skill.Liam ÖhgrenÖhgren has the tools to be a top-six power forward down the line, but he also flashed some potential down the stretch as a penalty killer. It’s a good sign that he may be able to round out his two-way game, even if his offensive ceiling caps out at a middle-six level.Aatu RätyThere’s some defensive gaps in Räty’s game, specifically related to his foot speed, but the young Finnish centre ended up in Adam Foote’s doghouse unfairly last season. In reality he was on a short list of the Canucks’ most effective two-way options, even if his sheltered deployments were part of what drove those results.The Canucks need a faceoff-winning centre, and Räty is ticketed to fill that role this season.ProbableJake DeBruskDeBrusk isn’t at risk of not making this team, but we’ll list him as a probable for now. At this juncture of the offseason, among veteran Vancouver players who could conceivably be moveable and open to moving, DeBrusk stands alone as a somewhat realistic consideration.Elias Pettersson, the defencemanPettersson’s effectiveness, which was so impressive down the stretch of the 2024-25 season, fell off significantly in Vancouver’s unstructured environment last season. I’d expect him to make the team and fare better this season, but structurally, it’s best to bake in some uncertainty for all of the young blueliners in this tier.Victor ManciniMancini signed a two-year, one-way extension in March and is likely to be on the NHL roster to open this season. That said, there’s enough competition on the back end that we’ll keep Mancini in the probable tier simply because he remains waiver exempt. Once Mancini plays 15 more NHL games, he’ll require waivers.Tom WillanderLike Mancini, I’d expect Willander to make Vancouver’s roster out of training camp. We should maintain a bit of uncertainty here, however, to account for Vancouver’s developmental priorities. During his first season at the NHL level, he managed to produce and flashed significant two-way potential in spurts. Overall, he survived in an absolutely brutal environment.For a player with Willander’s pedigree, however, you don’t really want them to learn how to survive. You want them to learn how to make a difference at the highest levels of professional hockey.Something to proveJonathan LekkerimäkiLekkerimäki has dominated at the AHL level as a 20- and 21-year-old, which is bullish. At the NHL level, however, his defensive game, speed and size have often looked out of place and he’s been frequently injured, which is bearish.Coming off season-ending surgery, has Lekkerimäki put together the sort of summer he needs to upgrade his physical tools to the point of making a difference at the NHL level? Patience is probably required, which may frustrate fans, but the team has time to wait: Lekkerimäki has another year before he’ll require waivers.Braeden CootesCootes made this team out of training camp last year. This year he looks larger and seems more confident. He is eligible to play in the AHL this season as a 19-year-old due to recent changes in the NHL/CHL transfer agreement, so the training camp stakes are somewhat lower for Cootes than they might’ve been in previous years. Whether he makes the opening roster or not, he’s likely to get a good chunk of NHL games this season.Arshdeep BainsBains had every opportunity to cement himself as an NHL-level player the way his longtime Abbotsford teammates Sasson and Karlsson did last season. He never managed it.Nikita TolopiloThatcher Demko’s health hangs over Vancouver’s plans in net, but whether Demko is ready to open training camp or not, Vancouver will need a goaltending depth plan this season. In fact, the Canucks should really consider rostering three netminders. Will Vancouver prefer Tolopilo to some of the other options likely to be available on the waiver wire?In the mixKirill KudryavtsevA savvy, undersized defensive defenceman, new head coach Manny Malhotra trusted Kudryavtsev in Abbotsford, and he’s arguably more advanced as a two-way option than the trio of young defencemen (and Mancini) who spent more time at the NHL level last season.Ilya SafonovA big, physical, defensive centre who wins faceoffs, Safonov may not have any experience playing North American professional hockey, but he checks a lot of the boxes Vancouver’s other centres don’t.Akil ThomasThomas is a right-handed centre who can play the wing or line up down the middle. At the very least he’ll be a difficult player for the likes of Cootes, Safonov and Ty Mueller to beat out.Ty MuellerA favourite of the developmental staff, Mueller is a mature prospect who doesn’t appear to have the athletic tools or production profile to project as an impact NHL player down the line, but he’s smart, has some skill and has continued to earn opportunities. That matters.Trey Fix-WolanskyFix-Wolansky is a bowling-ball AHL scorer, but has the sort of toughness and motor to make an impact on a rebuilding team. Think about players like Michael Pezzetta in Montreal during its rebuild. That’s the sort of impact he could have in Vancouver, if he can earn a shot.Lingering injury uncertaintyThatcher DemkoComing off of a second hip surgery, on the heels of a knee tear, Demko’s status for the start of training camp is still uncertain with less than a month to go.Whether Demko begins the year on the 23-man roster, on injured reserve, on long-term injured reserve, or on injured/non-roster status, the Canucks need to have a plan to shore up their goaltending depth and carefully manage Demko’s usage this season.Dark horseAdam NovotnýThe main knock on Novotný as a prospect — that he’s a late 2007 birthday whose physical development is advanced, potentially giving him less runway to improve relative to other prospects in the 2026 draft class — is also a reason to believe he could make a surprise challenge to break camp at the NHL level next month.An outright elite skater, Novotný is ready in the narrow sense that his skating and ability to leverage his size to protect the puck at speed is NHL-level. Those are traits that tend to show well in battle drills and training camp scrimmages, and in preseason action as well.