3 Canucks that must perform well in preseason finale

The Vancouver Canucks have a chance to earn their second and final win of the preseason with the opportunity to get revenge on the Calgary Flames, but they won’t be able to do that without strong performances from players looking to prove themselves.

In their last outing, the Flames turned Rick Tocchet into Sean Payton in a 10-0 defeat of Vancouver, and the Canucks find themselves in need of some positive momentum ahead of the start of the season. There’s still a handful of bubble players hanging around, while others need to earn the final stamp of approval to seal their places.

#3. RD Noah Juulsen

Noah Juulsen has a lot to prove in this final game after opting to remain in Vancouver during the summer. The former first-round pick has played parts of last two seasons with the Canucks, but most of his time has been spent with the Abbotsford Canucks. Availability has also been a real issue for Juulsen; the right-shot defenseman hasn’t played more than 50 regular season games in one year since his last season with the WHL Everett Silvertips (2015-16).

The 26-year-old is still a relatively young player, but at the same time, this is a make-or-break age for Juulsen given his history in the league. The British Columbia native is staying home, and he finds himself with a legitimate chance to make the Canucks as the team’s sixth or seventh defenseman.

Only Christian Wolanin and Guillaume Brisebois stand in Juulsen’s way, but it’s now up to him to seize the opportunity. Given that Juulsen is a righty, he just might have the inside edge right now.