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.

#2. F Dakota Joshua 

Dakota Joshua had an alright year for the Canucks last season, but GM Patrik Allvin was quick to pour water on that slow-burning fire. Just one year into his two-year, $1.65 million contract with Vancouver, the former St. Louis Blue now has to compete with Teddy Blueger and Nils Aman for ice time.

If Allvin was truly convinced of Joshua he would not have brought Blueger aboard in the first place, and though Aman is still waivers-exempt, his entrenchment as a regular makes the AHL a relative impossibility. Joshua did score 23 points in the 2022-23 season, but as the Canucks continue to try to improve, that offensive production becomes less and less meaningful.

The 27-year-old posted fairly good even strength underlying numbers both offensively and defensively, but the fact of the matter is that Aman and Blueger are more useful players thanks to their special teams ability. If Joshua wants to earn his place back in the lineup, he’s going to need to make a case, and a strong one at that.