Canucks Elevate Linus Karlsson as Marco Rossi Misses Practice

Vancouver Canucks coach Manny Malhotra reshuffled his forward lines and defensive pairings during practice at Rogers Arena on Monday, October 19, 2026, as the team prepared to host the Carolina Hurricanes. Linus Karlsson moved onto the top line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, while Marco Rossi remained absent because of illness and his availability for Tuesday's game was uncertain.

The session marked Vancouver's first practice at Rogers Arena in almost two weeks following a six-game road trip and a day off Sunday. According to CanucksArmy, the team also used the 90-minute workout to address physical play, five-on-five situations and power-play combinations.

Karlsson entered the practice with seven points in 10 games this season. His promotion placed him alongside Pettersson and DeBrusk, while Jonathan Lekkerimäki joined Drew O'Connor and Liam Öhgren after receiving only three shifts in the third period of Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to CanucksArmy.

Rossi, who also missed the game against Tampa Bay because of illness, did not take part in Monday's practice. His status for Tuesday's matchup against Carolina remained uncertain, leaving the other available forwards to fill the team's practice combinations.

Filip Chytil centered Paul Cotter and Brock Boeser, while Max Sasson skated between Arshdeep Bains and Brendan Gallagher. The changes came as Vancouver prepared for a three-game homestand.

Malhotra emphasized the importance of using the available practice time to sharpen the team's physical approach and improve execution in puck battles.

"The schedule doesn't lend itself to too many of these days, so it was really nice to work on some things and get some proper touches. It was important for us to get to those bump and grind drills today where they are quite competitive and they are quite combative. I always talk about those as being learned behaviours.

Learning how physical you have to be in those puck battles and how getting body position means everything, so when we have an opportunity to have those types of drills, it's good for the guys to get into them." Malhotra said.

The coaching staff divided the workout into two halves, with an ice resurfacing break between them. Players worked on five-on-five play and competitive drills before moving to power-play practice and finishing with a small-area game.

Lekkerimäki joined the first power-play unit alongside Pettersson, Boeser, DeBrusk and defenseman Filip Hronek. The second unit featured Zeev Buium, Chytil, Cotter, Karlsson and Öhgren.

On defense, Elias Pettersson partnered with Hronek, Jamie Oleksiak skated with Tom Willander, and Buium paired with veteran Luke Schenn. Schenn had been a healthy scratch for Vancouver's previous two games, while Victor Mancini practiced alongside Guillaume Brisebois.

Schenn acknowledged that the team needed to improve after enduring a seven-game losing streak. The veteran defenseman described the return from the road trip as a humbling experience and stressed the need for greater accountability within the locker room.

"We need to be a heck of a lot better. You come back (from road trip) pretty humbled to say the least. We've got a long ways to go, for sure.

I totally understand it's about the process and getting better over time, but within that process, you definitely want to see some progress. Everybody wants to get better, but in saying that, it's up to guys in this room to want to make that happen. We obviously have to hold each other to a higher standard, for sure."

Schenn said.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko watched the early portion of practice from the bench as he continued his recovery. Malhotra said Demko had dialed back his on-ice recovery work over the previous week but was still progressing. The coach declined to provide a timeline for the goaltender's return to practice or game action.

Vancouver's next scheduled game is Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, with Rossi's availability still unresolved following his continued absence from practice.