We are now officially 52 days from the start of the 2026-27 season for the Vancouver Canucks. We're also 54 days from opening night at the Rogers Center. Throughout the past week, we've been focusing on three Canucks players to watch, in regard to under-25 years old and forwards.
In this edition of "players to watch series", we will turn our attention to the defense. When it comes to the Canucks blueline, it'll be interesting to see how the pairings will look on Sept. 29 against the Edmonton Oilers. Which three defensemen should fans watch closely in 2026-27?
Elias Nils Pettersson
Heading into the final season of his three-year, $2.59 million entry-level contract (ELC), 22-year-old defenseman Elias Nils Pettersson is looking to continue to be a shutdown defenseman for the Canucks in 2026-27. Last season, the Swedish blueliner had 85 blocked shots and 136 hits. If he can reach 150 hits and 100 blocked shots, he could be a very solid, sneaky defensive defenseman on the back end.
Couple that with newcomer Luke Schenn, who had 57 blocked shots and 140 hits, and that could be an underrated pairing for head coach Manny Malhotra. Pettersson finished the 2025-26 season with three goals and 10 points in 70 games. He also managed to average 14:59 minutes of ice time last season, a decent bump from the 12:49 he had in 28 games during the 2024-25 season.
While Pettersson is inclined offensively, he is someone who can be a solid defenseman in his own zone to limit chances on the net. It'll be a season to prove what he can do for the Canucks, who drafted him 80th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He is set to be a restricted free agent (RFA) after this current season at 23 years old.
Pettersson is currently being paid $913,333 annually under his ELC. AFP Analytics projects that his next deal could be a two-year, $4.715 million contract. The annual average value (AAV) could come out to $2.357 million per season. If he fares well in 2026-27, could Pettersson's contract be six or seven years and a higher AAV?
Jamie Oleksiak
The second defenseman that we will focus on is newcomer Jamie Oleksiak. After finishing up his five-year deal with the Seattle Kraken, the 33-year-old Ontario native joins the Canucks on a two-year, $10 million contract.
During the 2025-26 season, Oleksiak had five goals and 15 points in 78 games. He averaged 16:56 of ice time, while having 106 blocked shots and 112 hits. The Canucks are bringing in the veteran defenseman to help bring more balance to the blueline, which struggled to keep opposing players from the net last season.
There is a sense that pairing Oleksiak with Tom Willander could open up the younger defenseman offensively in the upcoming season. Adding a stay-at-home defenseman like Oleksiak, who is also 6'7, 251 pounds, is going to pay off in dividends for both the Canucks and Willander. Plus, paying him only $5 million annually is a pretty solid deal overall for both sides.
Oleksiak will be 35 years old when the deal expires at the end of the 2027-28 season. How will he perform over the next two seasons with the Canucks, especially in 2026-27, as he heads into his 15th NHL season?
Filip Hronek
The final defenseman that we will focus on is 28-year-old Filip Hronek. Hronek was second on the Canucks in points last season with 49, along with leading the team in assists (41). He also had 100 blocked shots and 133 hits in 2025-26. Hronek is entering the third season of his eight-year, $58 million deal that he signed back in June 2024. Over the last three seasons with the Canucks, the Czech defenseman has tallied 18 goals, 112 assists, and 130 points in 224 games.
Hronek had 43 assists in 2023-24 and 41 during the 2024-25 season. On top of that, he finished with 48 and 49 points in those two seasons. When he has played 80 games or more, he's played the best hockey of his career since joining Vancouver. While he did have a minus-23 last season, there is no denying the plus-33 he had in 2023-24.
Last season, Hronek averaged 25 minutes a night of ice time, by far the most of his career. He was managing all of this in his eighth NHL season. Heading into the 2026-27 season, he will match the most seasons with the team after playing the first five years of his career with the Detroit Red Wings.
During the 2025-26 season, he spent 373:44 of five-on-five ice time with Zeev Buium, who the Canucks got as part of the Quinn Hughes trade with the Minnesota Wild. There is a good indication that those two will be paired up once again in 2026-27. That seems like the only pairing currently written in pen for the Canucks. The hope is that he can be the No. 1 guy once again this upcoming season, as the Canucks look to finish higher in the standings
When it comes down to it, it'll be a pivotal season not only for these three defensemen, but the blueline group as a whole for the Canucks. The team was a mins-100 in goal differential last season. The next closest team was the Chicago Blackhawks with a minus-62. They also only won nine home games all of last season.
The hope is that they turn it around in 2026-27 and start to see a progression in the current rebuild. What are Canucks and their fans in store for this upcoming season?
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