{"id":511587,"date":"2026-03-19T15:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/511587\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:30:18","slug":"vancouver-canucks-news-rumours-lankinen-mckenna-stenberg-garland-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/511587\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Canucks News & Rumours: Lankinen, McKenna, Stenberg & Garland – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not every day you get two last-place teams meeting when one of them is the reigning Stanley Cup champs. The Vancouver Canucks<\/a> host the Florida Panthers tonight, and if nothing else, both sides should be motivated. Both teams came out of their last games after taking a good old-fashioned beating by the Seattle Kraken.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks Prospects Report: Klimovich Eyes History, CHL Playoffs, NCAA Tournament & More<\/a><\/p>\n

Vancouver dropped a 5-2 decision, and Florida was even worse, losing 6-2. The Panthers are missing key players like Sam Reinhart and possibly Sam Bennett, while the Canucks are still trying to find consistency. For Vancouver, this is exactly the kind of game where you either steady yourself or the slide starts to feel permanent.<\/p>\n

Item One: Kevin Lankinen Deserves Better Than This Skid<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a little bit of unfairness built into Kevin Lankinen\u2019s current run in the crease. On paper, it looks brutal; he has put up no wins in his last 10 games. The numbers themselves make him look like a goalie in free fall. But watch the games, and you see a different story. Even in the latest loss, he gave the Canucks a chance. That\u2019s been the theme.<\/p>\n

When Lankinen arrived in Vancouver, he looked exactly like the steadying presence this team needed: composed, reliable, and capable of making the saves you expect. That hasn\u2019t changed. What has changed is what happens in front of him. This is a team that gives up too many clean looks, has too many breakdowns, and plays too many games where one mistake turns into three. That\u2019s a tough life for a goalie, no matter how well he\u2019s playing.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks News & Rumours: Pettersson, Malhotra, Lansing & Learning Curves<\/a><\/p>\n

Now Lankinen gets another shot Tuesday against the Panthers, a team that can score but hasn\u2019t exactly been lighting it up. This would be a nice night to reward their goalie with a strong game. He\u2019s probably been through enough. He just needs a team in front of him that stops high-danger chances.<\/p>\n

Item Two: McKenna or Stenberg? A Pretty Good Problem to Have<\/p>\n

Given the Canucks\u2019 season, there\u2019s a good chance they will end up picking near the top of the draft. In fact, they could be staring down a choice between Gavin McKenna<\/a> and Ivar Stenberg. That\u2019s not a bad problem to have, even if it says something about how the season has gone.<\/p>\n

\"IvarSweden forward Ivar Stenberg is all smiles after defeating Czechia in the final of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship (Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

McKenna is the kind of talent that changes the feel of a team. He\u2019s dynamic, creative, and the type of player you build around. But Stenberg isn\u2019t a consolation prize<\/a>. He\u2019s had a great season playing against grown men in Sweden, and he has already developed a solid NHL-ready two-way game. Both youngsters have different timelines, and both bring serious upside. Either one could be a cornerstone.<\/p>\n

Related: NHL Rumors: Matthews\u2019 Future, Mammoth to Revisit Thomas, Oilers Linked to a Hughes?<\/a><\/p>\n

And imagine how Stenberg could fit into a Canucks forward group. If it\u2019s Stenberg, suddenly the Canucks\u2019 corps isn\u2019t a weakness anymore. It\u2019s a team you can build around. Either way, this is one of those rare situations with no truly wrong choice \u2014 just different paths to getting better.<\/p>\n

Item Three: Conor Garland Finds His Game in Columbus <\/p>\n

Conor Garland didn\u2019t waste much time making his presence felt when he moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Since being traded earlier this month, he\u2019s scored four goals in five games, mostly playing under 13:40 a night. That\u2019s about as good a first impression as you can ask for.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the goals. Garland fits well alongside Kent Johnson and Sean Monahan. It\u2019s like he\u2019s been there for years. The analytics back it up. Columbus controls more chances, more expected goals, and better high-danger looks with him on the ice. <\/p>\n

Maybe most importantly, the Blue Jackets have gathered points in every game Garland <\/a>has played, putting them back in playoff contention. From a Canucks perspective, it\u2019s a reminder of what can happen when a player lands in the right spot.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for the Canucks?<\/p>\n

So, where does this leave Vancouver? Playing a little harder, at least, and trying to stem the bleeding. They\u2019re still last in the Pacific, still searching for consistency, and still staring up at the standings with no easy path forward. But the effort is there, and sometimes that\u2019s all you can ask for.<\/p>\n

Related: The Pump My Tires Quote That Ignited the Canucks\u2019 2011 Stanley Cup Collapse<\/a><\/p>\n

The bigger question is what the roster will look like next season. Will it include one of McKenna or Stenberg? Will Lankinen get the kind of support he deserves? Can Garland have a Canucks-style impact if he were still in town? And yes, there\u2019s the usual sprinkle of \u201cwhat trades or free-agent moves could finally make this group interesting again?\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, though, it\u2019s about these games. About seeing who shows up, who steps up, and who keeps the margin of error from completely disappearing. Keep an eye on the details: breakouts, support on the blue line, and goaltending under pressure. Vancouver might be a mess in the standings, but for those paying attention, there\u2019s still something worth following. I envision a team that, before long, will give fans a little hope to hold on to.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not every day you get two last-place teams meeting when one of them is the reigning Stanley…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5128],"tags":[894,1613,766,5,629,1538,4,893,27,5313],"class_list":["post-511587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver-canucks","tag-canucks","tag-conor-garland","tag-gavin-mckenna","tag-hockey","tag-ivar-stenberg","tag-kevin-lankinen","tag-nhl","tag-vancouver","tag-vancouver-canucks","tag-vancouvercanucks"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116256561128072786","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}