Some weeks are chaos, and some weeks are more of a slow roll where a few storylines pop up and give you a good sense of where things are heading. This one leans toward the second type. No massive drama, no big swings. The news is just a handful of updates that help to outline the organization’s current state.
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The Vancouver Canucks have players returning from the Olympics, a top prospect shutting things down for the season, and another prospect absolutely lighting it up in junior. It’s the usual mix you get at this time of year: part relief, part frustration, part excitement.
Item One: Lankinen Earns Bronze for Finland
Kevin Lankinen didn’t play a second in Milan, but he’s still coming home with a medal after Finland rolled past Slovakia 6–1 in the Olympic bronze medal game. With Juuse Saros taking every start, Lankinen was in a pure support role. Still, he was on the roster, and that’s all it takes — he’s officially a medal winner.
Now the interesting part: he’s walking back into a situation in Vancouver where he’s going to be needed right away. With Thatcher Demko out for the season following hip surgery, Lankinen has little time to adjust. His season with the Canucks so far has been rough — an .876 save percentage in 32 games isn’t what anyone hoped for — but this stretch run is a reset button for him. Vancouver doesn’t need him to be perfect; they just need him to be steady.
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The Olympics gave a few Canucks time to reset. Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, David Kämpf, and Teddy Blueger were already back at practice, all of them looking like the time away did them some good. Lankinen joins the group with a medal and a new challenge waiting for him.
Item Two: Canucks Lose Jonathan Lekkerimäki for the Season After Shoulder Surgery
This one stings. Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s season is officially over after news broke that he’ll undergo shoulder surgery. It’s been a tough season for the young winger, pretty much from the start. An early-season injury knocked him out for over a month, and since then, he’s been bouncing between the big club and American Hockey League (AHL) Abbotsford Canucks, trying to find his footing.
He got 13 NHL games in — two goals, one assist — and looked fine in sheltered minutes, but his best hockey this season came in the AHL. Twenty points in 21 games is no small achievement, especially for a 21-year-old still growing into his game. The Canucks had planned to give him another look after the Olympic break, depending on how the deadline shook out, but that plan is now out the window with this surgery.
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The big picture matters here: the organization still sees him as part of their future. This isn’t a setback that changes how they view his potential. It just kicks the timeline down the road. Training camp in the fall becomes a huge opportunity for him — a fresh start, a clean bill of health, and no bouncing around. For a young player, sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed.
Item Three: Prospect Riley Patterson Stays Hot With Another Multi-Goal Night
Then there’s the good news: Riley Patterson keeps rolling in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He scored twice in the Niagara IceDogs’ 4–3 overtime win against the Kingston Frontenacs, which pushes him to 34 goals and 72 points in 49 games. That alone is impressive, but his recent heater (seven goals and six assists in his last seven games) really jumps off the page.
He’s been one of the OHL’s most consistent finishers all season, and he’s doing it while keeping Niagara in the playoff hunt. For the Canucks, this is the kind of development curve you want from a mid-range prospect: steady growth, more confidence with the puck, and the ability to carry the offence when needed. He’s becoming a young player who is stacking up strong games and building a case for a future spot in the system.
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Patterson’s strong season doesn’t guarantee a specific timeline to the NHL, but it does put him firmly on the radar heading into summer discussions. If he brings this level into the playoffs, the Canucks’ development staff will be thrilled. These are the players who become unexpectedly important two or three years down the road.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
Today the break is over, the Olympians are almost back, and Vancouver’s got a busy, pressure-heavy stretch ahead. Lankinen’s going to have to carry a bigger load than expected. Lekkerimäki’s injury reshapes some of the depth planning. Patterson’s rise adds another interesting wrinkle to the future pipeline.
The standings aren’t forgiving, and the schedule tightens fast. But between the medal coming home, the unfortunate injury news, and a prospect on a heater, there’s plenty happening around the Canucks as they try to keep their season on track.
