Vancouver Canucks 2026-27 Player Projections: Kevin Lankinen – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

It’s been a long time since the Vancouver Canucks played a meaningful game; their last outing was a 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on April 16, in which Matthew Savoie scored his first career hat trick. That was also Kevin Lankinen‘s last start. He was in goal for all six tallies, three from Savoie and singles from Josh Samanski, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Colton Dach. Like most of his starts last season, his team didn’t give him much run support, either, scoring only once (Ty Mueller’s first NHL goal) on a meagre 12 shots.

Hopefully, this season Canucks fans see more of the Lankinen who stole the show in 2024-25 when he earned his current five-year contract. That season, he started a career-high 49 games and finished with a career-best 2.62 goals-against average (GAA) and four shutouts. Can he get back to that in 2026-27 and create a formidable 1A/1B tandem with Thatcher Demko? Let’s dive into his projections to find out.

Looking Back at Lankinen’s 2025-26 Season

Heading into the season, Lankinen was supposed to assume the backup role behind Demko and give the Canucks one of the best tandems in the league. Unfortunately, that plan went south almost immediately, as Demko suffered an injury only a month in. Lankinen took over, but didn’t look nearly as good as he did in 2024-25. He also had to deal with a private family issue that caused him to miss some time at the end of November, forcing American Hockey League (AHL) goaltenders Nikita Tolopilo and Jiri Patera into action.

Even with that leave of absence, Lankinen started nearly the same number of games as in 2024-25, but his stats declined. Instead of career-best numbers, he posted career-worst marks in GAA (3.70), SV% (.876), and losses (27). He also had 17 really bad starts (RBS) and a woeful negative-25.6 goals saved above average (GSAA). Basically, he dropped to the basement, just like his team did.

The only good news from Lankinen’s season was his continued mastery of the shootout, increasing his SV% in the skills competition to an all-time high of .883, alongside an 11-4 record. He also represented Finland at the 2026 Olympics and won a bronze medal, and was the Vancouver chapter’s nomination for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

Expectations for 2026-27

Rebuild or not, athletes want to have good seasons for the team they play for. As such, Lankinen will want to have a bounce-back campaign where he returns to respectable stats. He was part of a rebuild in Chicago, so he knows every game won’t be a picnic, but that doesn’t mean he has to settle for another dreadful season individually.

Lankinen also wants to be part of the solution in Vancouver, culture-wise, saying, “As an older guy, that’s what I want to create – a culture where they can be themselves and feel good about who they are and not have to worry about anything else other than playing hockey, because that’s when we get the best results from them as well…Even if the results aren’t going our way all the time, we’ve got to make sure we have a culture where we work hard, but we’re still having fun…I think those things can go hand in hand, too.”

So, not only does Lankinen want to be a difference-maker on the ice, but off of it as well. He’s already a respected NHL veteran who brings a lot of character and accountability to the dressing room, something general manager Ryan Johnson has repeatedly said will be important moving forward. He will be expected to continue to be that beacon of light and support for the new core as they navigate the tough road ahead.

2026-27 Projections

It’s tough to project Lankinen’s numbers heading into this season, since we don’t know whether Demko’s health will hold up. If it does, I expect a pretty even split for the workload. He will probably get upwards of 40 starts, and for his sake, return to stats around a 2.80 GAA and .900 SV%. I will even throw in a shutout, something he didn’t manage to get last season after posting a career-high of four in 2024-25. If it doesn’t, well, he could be in for another busy season, unless Tolopilo sticks around as the third wheel.

Beyond the raw stats, I don’t expect Lankinen to have as many RBS as he did last season. He likely will also get back closer to the positive side of GSAA, since 2025-26 represented only his second campaign in the negative.

As for Lankinen’s work outside the crease, his comments towards the end of the season showed a veteran ready to take on a larger responsibility in the leadership department. Just like Demko, he will be the subject of trade speculation, especially if he has a good season. However, given his no-movement clause and desire to be part of the rebuild and not jump ship, it will be tough to convince him to waive it. Much to the chagrin of most fans (and the media, of course), I think this tandem is here to stay until at least the final year of their contracts.

Other 2026-27 Player Projections