The Vancouver Canucks’ 2026–27 season schedule has officially been released. The Canucks’ 84-game campaign begins on the road on September 29 when they take on the Edmonton Oilers. Their season wraps on April 10 with a matchup against the Calgary Flames.
Throughout their 2026–27 season, Vancouver will take part in a variety of entertaining matchups, ranging from welcoming back former players to potentially seeing NHL legends for the final time in their careers. Here are five must-watch Canucks games taking place in the 2026–27 season.
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September 29 @ Edmonton Oilers
While there will still be pre-season and training camp to take in prior to the season-opener, this game will serve as the first-look of a rebuild-committed Canucks team featuring new management staff (Ryan Johnson, Daniel and Henrik Sedin) as well as their new coaching staff (Manny Malhotra, Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith, and Jason Krog). This will also be many fans’ first-look at Brendan Gallagher, Jamie Oleksiak, and Paul Cotter in Canucks uniforms.
The Canucks will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on October 8, making this the first time Vancouver will face them since they won back in June. The biggest change to Carolina’s roster since they won the Stanley Cup is the departure of goaltender Frederik Andersen, who signed a one-year deal in free-agency with the Oilers.
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Quite possibly the biggest game for Canucks fans heading into the 2026–27 season is October 25, which is when former captain Quinn Hughes will return to Rogers Arena with the Minnesota Wild for the first time since being traded in December of 2025. Lots has changed surrounding fans’ perception of the defenceman since his departure, and while he’s undoubtedly still the best blueliner the Canucks have had, for the most part it appears the fanbase has soured on him. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts to Hughes’ return on October 25.
The status of legendary goal-scorer and Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is undetermined past the 2026–27 season. While there were musings of the forward’s potential retirement at the end of the 2025–26 season, Ovechkin ended up signing a one-year deal with the Capitals to extend his career by one more season. As it stands, Ovechkin has not vocalized whether he plans to play past this year or not, making his next trip to Vancouver potentially his last.
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One interesting Canucks road game to catch will be when Vancouver takes on the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on March 6. This will be the first time that new Canuck Gallagher will return to Montréal after being traded to Vancouver ahead of the 2026 free-agency period. Prior to joining Vancouver, the forward spent the entirety of his 14-season NHL career with the Canadiens, including taking part in eight playoff runs with the team. Gallagher is certain to get a positive reception from Canadiens fans when he returns to Montréal.
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