The Vancouver Canucks are still trying to figure out exactly what the team will look like over the next few years. That’s what makes some of the smaller or potential moves around the organization interesting. Not every player has to be the next big piece of the rebuild. Sometimes you’re just looking for somebody who might fit better than expected.
That’s where two very different stories come into play. A couple of NHL forwards are still looking for work who could be worth a professional tryout aggreement (PTO), while one of Vancouver’s newest prospects is already giving the organization something to get excited about. One is about taking a cheap gamble on a player who hasn’t quite found his place. The other is about finding out whether an unusual prospect can turn some unique tools into an NHL career.
Should the Canucks Take a Look at These Two Forgotten NHL Forwards?
The Canucks don’t necessarily need either Philipp Kurashev or Pavol Regenda. And that’s actually why I think a PTO makes sense. Vancouver doesn’t have to hand either player a contract or promise him a spot in the lineup. Bring him to camp, let him compete and see what happens. If he isn’t good enough, they move on. There’s little risk in finding out.
Kurashev is probably the more conventional gamble. He’s 26, has NHL experience, can play both centre and wing and has shown that he can contribute offensively. The problem is that he never really established himself with the San Jose Sharks last season.
He had stretches where he looked useful, but he also spent plenty of time watching from the press box. That’s probably why he’s still available. But it’s also exactly why a PTO makes more sense than making a commitment before camp. Maybe Vancouver sees something the Sharks didn’t. Maybe the fit is better.
Philipp Kurashev, San Jose Sharks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Regenda is a more worthwhile experiment. He’s 6-foot-4, brings some size and has shown that he can put the puck in the net. He scored nine goals in only 24 NHL games last season, including a hat trick. But then he spent much of the rest of the season watching games instead of playing them.
The Canucks don’t need another player simply because he’s big. They do, however, have room for players who can make opponents uncomfortable and still contribute offensively. That’s the test for Regenda. Can new head coach Manny Malhotra and his staff find a role for him that the Sharks couldn’t last season? That’s a much more interesting question than whether he’s secretly an NHL star.
Canucks’ Brooks Rogowski Is Already Giving Vancouver Something to Like
Then there’s Brooks Rogowski, and this is where things affect the longer-term picture. Vancouver took the 6-foot-7 centre 33rd overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and his performance at the World Junior Summer Showcase gave the organization a reason to feel good about that selection. Rogowski scored three goals and added an assist in four games for Team USA, drawing rave reviews for the way he used his enormous frame.
Brooks Rogowski Oshawa Generals (Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)
What I like about this story is that the goals weren’t the whole story. Rogowski played his natural centre position, won faceoffs, brought physicality and energy, and contributed on both special teams. He also looked quicker than you might expect from a player that big. We’ve all seen big hockey players who were big and not much else. If Rogowski can actually move and think the game well enough to use that size, now you’ve got something.
Of course, he is still a developing prospect. He scored 15 goals and 42 points in 46 games with the Oshawa Generals last season, and the offensive side of his game still needs work. But the ingredients are certainly there. A huge centre who can skate, win draws, kill penalties, get to the front of the net and play a physical game is pretty useful if the offensive game catches up. For a player taken 33rd overall, that’s a pretty encouraging early return.
The Canucks Have Nothing to Lose by Looking Around
This is where the two stories connect. Vancouver doesn’t have to know exactly what every player will become right now. That’s part of rebuilding a hockey team. You give some players an opportunity and see what happens.
A PTO for Kurashev or Regenda would be a very small bet. Maybe one of them comes into camp and surprises somebody. Maybe neither does. Either way, Vancouver hasn’t given up much to find out. But the principle is similar. They are players with skills you can’t teach, and now it’s up to the organization to see if they can develop the rest of the package.
That’s probably the most interesting part of where the Canucks are right now. They don’t need every move to work. They just need to keep giving themselves chances to find something that does work. And every once in a while, one of those small bets will turn into something much bigger. You never know what you might find when you give a player a new opportunity.
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