Vancouver Canucks rebuild produces bright spots despite 3-2 shootout loss to Toronto Maple Leafs

The Vancouver Canucks have lost 15 of their last 17 games. They sit last in the NHL standings. They traded away the best player in franchise history six weeks ago. And yet, Saturday night's 3-2 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs gave the organization plenty to feel good about.

The defeat was close, competitive, and carried genuine entertainment value throughout. Vancouver led after 40 minutes, pushed the game into overtime, and only fell when William Nylander and Auston Matthews scored in the shootout while Elias Pettersson was stopped by Joseph Woll.

Swedish connection delivers some good moments for Vancouver Canucks despite loss

The bright spots came from a pair of young forwards who have known each other long before either set foot in the NHL. Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Liam Öhgren were teammates at Djurgårdens in Stockholm, producing at elite levels as junior players before being drafted in consecutive picks in 2022. The Canucks took Lekkerimaki 15th overall, while the Wild selected Ohgren 19th.

Saturday marked the first time head coach Adam Foote reunited the two as linemates, placing them alongside veteran center Teddy Blueger. The chemistry was immediate. Lekkerimäki sniped a world-class goal from the high slot off a pass from Ohgren just 1:55 into the second period, opening the scoring.

"First of all, we're good friends outside hockey," Ohgren said. "That helps a lot. We've known each other for a long time and played with each other a lot. And I think my playstyle and his playstyle fit pretty well together."

Ohgren, who arrived in Vancouver as part of the Quinn Hughes trade from Minnesota on December 12, has already shown an ability to connect with Lekkerimäki at the NHL level the same way they did in Sweden.

"Yeah, that has happened before, I can tell you that," Ohgren said. "We had a lot of those combinations back in the day, so now it's fun getting one here in the NHL as well."

Rookie defenseman Tom Willander also scored on the night, finishing off a brilliant cross-ice pass from Evander Kane on a rush. The contributions from young players reinforced that Vancouver's rebuild is producing tangible results despite the losing record.

The Canucks currently sit last in the league, positioning themselves for top odds in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. Their final two pre-Olympic games come Monday in Salt Lake City and Wednesday in Las Vegas before the NHL pauses for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.


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