Photo credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images
Evander Kane is out, and Adam Foote is rolling a new Vancouver look in Colorado with Elias Pettersson back at the top of the lineup.
That’s the clearest takeaway from Wednesday’s morning skate. Kane was not part of the projected forward group, and the Canucks reshaped all four lines around that absence.
Liam Öhgren skated with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk on the top line. Drew O’Connor, Marco Rossi, and Brock Boeser formed the second unit.
Lower in the lineup, Max Sasson centered with Teddy Blueger and Linus Karlsson, while Curtis Douglas, Aatu Räty, and Nils Höglander made up the fourth line.
On the blue line, Foote kept Zeev Buium with Filip Hronek, then went Marcus Pettersson with Tom Willander and Elias Nils Pettersson with Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Kevin Lankinen was the projected starter, which fits where Vancouver is right now as the club tries to stop the slide. The Canucks are 21-44-8.
Kane’s absence changes the whole look
Kane being out matters because this isn’t just one winger missing.
It forces Foote to spread skill and size through a group that has already been searching for answers.
The lineup shuffle also says Foote still wants a long look at younger pieces and newer combinations, especially with Vancouver sitting on 50 points and running out of time.
Pettersson back in the middle of the top line puts the spotlight right back on him.
With DeBrusk and Öhgren beside him, Vancouver is asking that line to drive the pace early.
Rossi between O’Connor and Boeser is another line worth watching. That trio has more puck-moving ability than a typical second unit on this roster right now.
The bigger picture is ugly. Vancouver has a -90 goal differential, so every lineup call now feels like a test for who still fits going forward.
It gets even tighter when you factor in the skid.
The Canucks are carrying a 6-game losing streak into Colorado, and Kane being out only adds more pressure to an already thin group.
So this isn’t just a routine game-day tweak.
It’s Foote leaning into another patchwork look, with Evander Kane out and several young players getting a bigger say in how Vancouver finishes the night.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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Adam Foote rolls out new-look lineup ahead of Colorado matchup
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