Canucks 3, Oilers 2 (OT): Jonathan Lekkermaki, ready for big chance?

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Going into the 2025 pre-season, we had plenty of questions about how the Vancouver Canucks’ roster would shake out.

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Management had talked about finding a second-line forward, for instance. They still clearly would like to find a veteran centre to add to their depth chart, but there’s little doubt the rapid growth of Braeden Cootes’ game may shift some of that thinking.

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That’s been the big obvious highlight of training camp, but it mustn’t overshadow the real development: Jonathan Lekkerimaki looks ready to take the big step and be an NHL regular.

The kid can shoot.  But he’s come in stronger and a little wiser this season. And in pre-season he has shown that he’s learned that you need to use your time wisely with the puck.

“He’s got a very deceptive shot,” head coach Adam Foote said. “You saw the first one. He had that pause … that’s a goal-scorer’s goal.”

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We’ve known he has a great release but finding the moment to pull the trigger in the NHL is a hard one. Playing in the AHL is hard hockey, it’s a lot more physical than any league outside the NHL, but it’s also a lot less precise.

The rookie has clearly learned how to be more precise. Now it’s a question of learning to apply that in the NHL regular season.

“He learned a lot last year in the playoffs,” Arshdeep Bains said. Lekkerimaki didn’t play a ton in the Calder Cup run. He’s acknowledged since he felt very worn down by the long season and the lack of opportunity to recover. He’s come in better prepared physically, he believes, for a long, trying season.

He’s never the most quotable, but he can be precise in his choice of words.

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“I just try to play relaxed,” he said, calmly, post-game.

Let’s go through the Canucks’ night and how the players looked in the pre-season finale, one where the top players struggled — or saved themselves — to make an impact but some of the kids stood out again.

Ready, aye, ready

I asked Braeden Cootes this morning if he was feeling any nerves.

“Not really, no,” he replied, smiling. He’s gotten this far, he’s been able to show himself that he can do it, really, that’s all there was to it.

There’s a calmness to him, a clarity of vision. His smarts were a big factor in why he was drafted by the Canucks, Foote said post-game.

“He’s hearing information, and he’s applying it pretty quick,” the coach said. A couple times early in the game, Cootes wasn’t the first forward back, so his assignment defensively was to stay high. But he didn’t do that — junior hockey brain, perhaps, thinking he can just fix the problem himself — and he got caught out.

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That mean there a couple scoring chances for the Oilers as a result because Cootes wasn’t on the boards where he should be, which then left space in the slot.

“But quickly we explained it to him and it didn’t happen again,” Foote said, proudly.

That’s the kind of development that is possible with him, why it’s clearly worth keeping him around as long as possible.

Forwards

Jake DeBrusk. B-. Some good forechecks early, but much of the night “best” of a weak trio. Found jump in the third, created a couple chances on his own carrying the puck hard

Elias Pettersson. C+. Won a couple board battles in the second but struggled to make a real impact until the third period when he saved a goal on a backcheck and then drew a penalty trying to make a DeBrusk rush into a two on one. But was too static on power play and didn’t get a very good shot off.

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Brock Boeser. C+. Too quiet on the night. Then again, who wants to have fun in the pre-season when the regular season is what matters?

Arshdeep Bains. C+. Got to some good spots but he’s better suited to a depth role. Still, he’s shown a lot in the pre-season; he’s a dependable NHLer, even if his game isn’t flashy. That can take you a long way.

Filip caught. C+. A great skater. Got on the puck  a lot, but his whole line struggled to make an impact.

Conor Garland. B. An eventful night. Worked hard on the PK. Nearly sprang Kiefer Sherwood out of the box. But made a poor decision trying a quick shot for the top corner with his linemates behind the Edmonton goal — all three forwards were caught behind the play, giving the oilers basically a 5 on 2, and the Oilers scored. But played with lots of zip in the third too. And then he scored that marvellous winner in OT.

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Did he see a goal in the making the moment he touched the puck?

“Oh no. Not when when McDavid and Draisaitl are on the ice,” he said. “You can’t give an inch. I just put the puck in the spot I thought would make an opening and then it did.”

Evander Kane. B-. Early poke check to create a chance for Lekkerimaki who shot in stride, handcuffing Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard. Was playing well on the night until his silly trippy penalty on the power play in the third.

Braeden Cootes. B. He won the puck battle to set up the first Lekkerimaki goal. And more smart plays all over. Surely this kid has made the team, the first 18-year-old to make a Canucks roster out of training camp since Petr Nedved in 1990.

We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, but he’s already showing he may be a solution to the Canucks’ centre ice depth problems. There will be challenges no doubt, but his potential is massive.

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Jonathan Lekkerimaki. A. Holy moly, the kid can shoot. Two fabulous goalies off quick-fire one-timers. He’s found the open spaces, which is how he’ll have success in this league.

Drew O’Connor. C+. Worked hard. Great fourth line game. Not the best puck touches.

Teddy Blueger. B-. Nice distribution after a turnover down low early. Worked hard too. But offence is not his game.

Kiefer Sherwood. B- An overly exuberant penalty in the first but those happen. Saw his speed but like Drew O’Connor, struggled to make much happen with the puck. Threw a great mid-ice check on Darnell Nurse late in the third to force an icing

Defence

Quinn Hughes. A. The captain is ready to go. Skating out of trouble. Leading the charge.

Filip Hronek. C+. Defended well but some poor decisions with the puck. He can be so much better.

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Marcus Pettersson. B. Stopped an early Connor McDavid rush and made a few other sprawling defensive plays. He’s ready, too.

Tyler Myers. B. Very active all night getting up in the play. A nice first-period clearance on the PK. Steady as the game went on.

Elias Pettersson. B. Solved a few problems and played smart. Took a hard hit from Vasily Podkolzin in second, went to room but came back in the third and was solid. Foote said post-game the concussion spotter had pulled the defenceman for a head injury check. Obviously he came through OK. “That’s what they should do,” Foote said.

Tom Willander. C. Still hesitating too much. A few nice puck touches but really struggling with overall pace of the game. There are good moments with the puck on his stick, but he’s going to start the year in the AHL for good reason. He needs to learn the speed of the pro game, how to make his game more efficient.

GOAL

Thatcher Demko. A. After a quiet first, got busy in the second. Made tricky save in second after an O’Connor turnover. A few more tough stops in the third, including one on a Matt Savoie breakaway going from his right to his left.

He really looks like he’s back to his Vezina-quality self. And if he is, the Canucks could be going places.

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