The Vancouver Canucks’ center depth has changed throughout the course of recent years. Only two of the team’s opening-night centres from last season have returned, while Elias Pettersson remains the only one from opening night of the 2021–22 season. With many players looking for an elevated position this year, let’s take a look at the Canucks’ full center depth chart heading into 2025–26.
Roster Players
Elias Pettersson
Despite a down year last season, Pettersson is still the Canucks’ top center and could even push for a Selke Trophy when on his A-game. The forward has been capable of putting up 100-point seasons while locking down the opposition and putting up decent numbers in the faceoff dot. Many have seen promising things from him during the pre-season — but Pettersson will need to translate these to the regular season for Vancouver to have a successful year.
Filip Chytil
Since being acquired by the Canucks back in February, lots of conversation has surrounded Chytil. His injury status and concussion history is something that has many fans worried, though the forward insists that he’s feeling better heading into the 2025–26 season and that he’s planning on taking things day-by-day. For what it’s worth, Chytil has also been one of the Canucks’ standouts throughout training camp and pre-season, showing off that speed and skill that could make him a very dangerous player for the opposition to face.
Teddy Blueger
Blueger is currently entering his last season of a two-year contract with the Canucks that he signed back in 2024. A bottom-six dynamo, the forward has previously meshed well with players like Conor Garland and ex-Canuck Dakota Joshua. He’s capable of chipping in a little offence while primarily working on the defensive-side of being a forward. He has tallied back-to-back 25-point seasons with the Canucks while remaining one of the team’s most consistent penalty killers.
Reserves/Battling For A Spot
Aatu Räty
Räty may have been one of the most talked-about players heading into training camp this year. The forward had an impressive 33-game stint with the Canucks last year, scoring seven goals and four assists, and is looking to lock down a full-time NHL role before the season starts. He worked on a lot of things during the off-season to make himself a better all-around player, his skating being a notable thing, but will face a lot of competition with fellow centers such as Max Sasson and Nils Åman also vying for a spot.
Max Sasson
Sasson made his NHL debut in the 2024–25 season and looks to only be going up from there. The forward spent 29 games with Vancouver last year, posting three goals and four assists. He then headed back to Abbotsford to help the AHL Canucks clinch their first Calder Cup in franchise history, with this run cementing Sasson as one of the team’s most noticeable players due to his energetic style of play and high shot on goal totals. He is currently on the hunt for a full-time NHL role and is one of the favourites to claim one.
Nils Åman
Åman’s history with the Canucks stretches back to the 2022–23 season, where he first made the team’s opening lineup. Since playing in 68 games that season, his NHL game count has decreased little by little, with the forward only playing in 19 games last season partially due to injury. Even so, he’s been one of the more-reliable bottom-six call-ups for the Canucks throughout his tenure, which could make the team more eager to keep him on the roster for longer periods of time.
*In theory, you could also include Linus Karlsson and Joseph LaBate in this category, though neither has played in a center role much as of late, so it may be best to consider them wingers for now.
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Braeden Cootes
If it weren’t for a boatload of nuances, Cootes would likely make the Canucks’ roster out of training camp and pre-season. The 18-year-old has impressed insurmountably since donning the Canucks colours in the middle of September, doing so while paired up with players such as Kiefer Sherwood, Evander Kane, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Cootes has earned an NHL opportunity, but unfortunately is unlikely to get it unless Vancouver is willing to move on from other players in their system via waiver wire. With Cootes likely returning to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL as captain, an extra season of marinating may be what the center needs to become the next Bo Horvat of the Canucks.
Why Braeden Cootes Should Start The 2025-26 Season With The Vancouver Canucks
As the Vancouver Canucks head towards the 2025-26 season, one of the big debates revolves around 2025 first-round pick Braeden Cootes. After a strong showing at training camp, as well as in Vancouver’s first pre-season game, debates have already started surrounding whether the 18-year-old should be on the NHL roster when the season opens. While there are positives and negatives to Cootes beginning the year with the Canucks, giving him a spot on the opening night roster could be beneficial for both the organization and the player.
Ty Mueller
The 2024–25 season was Mueller’s first in the AHL, having come off three NCAA seasons spent with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. As a rookie, Mueller earned himself heavy defensive minutes — including during high-stakes Calder Cup Playoff games, a stint at the AHL All-Star Classic, and the trust of Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra. With one — or a few — AHL Canucks likely graduating to the NHL this season, Mueller will end up with more minutes down in Abbotsford, giving him room to showcase his skills and potentially build up an NHL campaign for the coming seasons.
Riley Patterson
Patterson, a 19-year-old drafted 125th overall in 2024, enters his third OHL season with a new opportunity. Having previously spent two years with the Barrie Colts, Patterson is now a member of the Niagara IceDogs and currently has four assists in his first two games played. He made a great impression during the Canucks’ Prospects Showcase in mid-September, particularly during the team’s second game, after filling in on the team’s top-line after an injury to Cootes. While Patterson does still need some time to grow, the center could be a positive surprise for the Canucks in the coming seasons.
Promising Futures
Kieren Dervin
Dervin, a prospect drafted 65th overall by the Canucks this year, is beginning his first full season in the OHL this year, but will move to the NCAA come 2026–27. A strength of his is his ability to play on both sides of the ice while chipping in a little offensively — though the level of his offensive talents will likely be explored more this year. The speedy center is still only 18, meaning he has lots of time to fully flesh out his game before looking to the NHL.
Matthew Perkins
Perkins is a fourth-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft. He has spent the past two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA, and is embarking on a new opportunity with Northeastern University starting this year. Perkins will need to work on his game a little more in the coming years, though his hockey IQ seems to be a promising point in his playing style.
Matthew Lansing
Lansing was the Canucks’ final selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, going 207th overall in the seventh round. The center’s experiences include stints with the USHL, NTDP, and OJHL, though he’ll be starting this season with Quinnipiac University of the NCAA. Lansing is known more for his defensive game and will try to showcase this more in his first NCAA season.
Daimon Gardner
Gardner was selected back in the 2022 NHL Draft, going 112th overall in the fourth round to Vancouver. He spent the past two seasons in the NCAA, going from a six-point season in 29 games with Clarkson University to a 14-point year in 32 games with St. Cloud State University. He’ll look to build on this offensive progression this year, in his second season with St. Cloud State.
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