There’s not much to cheer about if you are a Vancouver Canucks fan right now. The team is dead last in the NHL with 48 points and is on pace to finish with one of the worst records in franchise history. As the losses continue to pile up, the only clear silver lining is the NHL Draft Lottery in May, where the Canucks should walk away with at least a top-three pick – if not first overall.
But there’s another positive: budding chemistry between two line combinations that could form part of the top-nine in 2026-27.
Liam Ohgren – Marco Rossi – Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser have been joined at the hip since Rossi and Boeser returned from injury after the Olympic break, and the early returns are looking good. While their underlying stats don’t paint a pretty picture (36.71 Corsi for percentage/CF%, Canucks outchanced 25-16 with them on the ice), the eye test is a different story. Watching them, it appears they are the only ones generating any sort of regular offence, and most importantly, Boeser looks like he finally has a centre he has chemistry with, as Rossi has found him a few times for goals and high-danger scoring chances.
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The basic stats tell the story, especially when it comes to Boeser and Rossi. Since the line was put together on March 4, Boeser has four goals and five points, and Rossi has two goals and six points. Rossi has also looked more like the player the Canucks thought they were getting as one of the centrepieces of the Quinn Hughes trade, while Boeser has become a goal scorer again after enduring a 21-game drought earlier in the season.
Ohgren, meanwhile, continues to impress and is already one of the biggest positives to come from this otherwise forgettable campaign. His speed, size and shot have been on display since he pulled on the Orca, and those skills seem to complement Rossi and Boeser well, given they aren’t the best skaters. He’s usually first on the forecheck, and he draws attention away from them so they can get into prime scoring areas. He’s also a threat to score, so teams can’t just focus on Boeser and Rossi all the time.
Thanks to Ohgren’s speed, Rossi’s playmaking, and Boeser’s instincts offensively (and defensively), they’ve had quite a few rushes and scoring chances that make fans perk up in the stands and on their couches.
Wyatt Arndt, aka “The Stanchion,” put it perfectly in his edition of the Stanchies on March 9: “Remember, glimmers of hope don’t have to include goals or even successful passes; they just have to make you think ‘that would have been cool if it had worked.'” And that’s exactly what this line has done over the last few games: show offensive creativity that has been lacking between any trio since probably the heyday of the Sedins and Alex Burrows.
All in all, the chemistry building between Ohgren, Rossi, and Boeser is a reason to watch the Canucks for the rest of the season and into 2026-27. Barring a Boeser trade, they could be a productive, not to mention exciting, second line next season – hopefully behind a top line that includes either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg.
Max Sasson – Teddy Blueger – Linus Karlsson
The newly nicknamed “BRO Line” isn’t the only one turning heads lately. While it could just be for the rest of this season, Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger and Linus Karlsson have stood out as an energetic two-way line with speed, grit, and the ability to shut down opponents. Unlike their counterparts on the second line, their underlying stats would make a coaching staff jump for joy. According to Natural Stat Trick, since the Olympic break, they have an impressive 58.82 CF% and have outchanced their opponents 11-4 in the high-danger areas of the ice.
Sasson and Karlsson have previous chemistry from their time in Abbotsford, and Blueger ties them together with his veteran savvy and solid defensive game. On a contender, they would be the perfect fourth line in the playoffs, but here, they are more of a 2B line, especially considering Sasson and Karlsson are fifth and sixth in scoring with 12 and 11 goals, respectively.
Even if Blueger isn’t re-signed in the offseason, Sasson and Karlsson have a bright future as a key part of the top-nine next season and beyond. The Canucks would just need to sign another veteran centre in free agency or possibly slot Aatu Raty with them. Raty is starting to become a centre in the mold of Blueger, and in a rebuild, he might be the better option. Whatever they do, though, Sasson should not shift back to the middle of the ice. He has looked a lot more dangerous since becoming a winger, so whether it’s Blueger, Raty or someone else in that mold taking on the role in 2026-27, he should stay where he is right now.
When the Canucks get back to being a playoff team, they are going to need an energy line that drives play; the next era’s Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Jannik Hansen. This line has the potential to be that as soon as next season.
Canucks Fans Need All the Hope They Can Get
The Canucks are just playing out the season at this point. They will probably continue to lose more games than they win, but the chemistry building between Boeser, Rossi, and Ohgren and Sasson, Blueger (assuming he’s re-signed), and Karlsson is a positive sign for the future. In a campaign with very few reasons for optimism, their play lately adds another layer of hope beyond just the results of the Draft Lottery. And for Canucks fans, they need all the hope they can get after how this season has gone.
