The questions facing the Canucks this season, the latest on Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vancouver Canucks face three big questions entering 2026-27.

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

The biggest is whether Elias Pettersson can regain his high-scoring ways. It’s been three years since his career-best 102-point performance. He had 89 points in 2023-24, 45 points in 64 games in 2024-25, and 51 points in 74 games last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries and a well-publicized rift with now-former teammate J.T. Miller hampered the 28-year-old center’s play over the past two years. He’s also been under pressure to meet the expectations that come with the expensive contract he signed over two years ago, and has faced criticism for his poor offseason training and preparation.

Pettersson’s been a fixture in the NHL rumor mill, but the steep drop in his production and his contract make him almost impossible to move. He and the Canucks are stuck with each other for better or worse.

Another big question is how many games oft-injured starting goaltender Thatcher Demko can play during the 2026-27 campaign. A Vezina Trophy finalist in 2023-24, he’s played 43 games over the past two seasons, and there’s no timeline as to when he’ll be ready to play this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks signed free-agent goalie Chris Driedger to a professional tryout offer last week. That move suggests Demko won’t be ready when the regular season begins a month from now.

Another question is whether a young defenseman like Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Nils Pettersson, or Victor Mancini will step up this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Buium is the blueliner Canucks fans will be focused on this season. He was part of the return in the Quinn Hughes trade last season and is ranked No. 2 among their top prospects by The Athletic.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger reports Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he expects winger Kirill Marchenko to play for the club starting on Sept. 16 when training camp opens.

Marchenko, 25, became the subject of trade rumors after ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported he wasn’t interested in signing a contract extension. He’s slated to become a restricted free agent next July, and is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent in July 2028.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A report out of Russia claiming the Blue Jackets were working on trading Marchenko last month created a stir for several days. However, Waddell quickly denied the speculation, insisting that the young winger would be with the Blue Jackets when this season began.

Hedger also reports that Waddell remains confident of signing Adam Fantilli to a new contract before training camp begins.

The 21-year-old center is a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. Waddell said there is a “little difference of opinion” between the two sides, but they “remain in communication”.

Re-signing Fantilli got more expensive after the Philadelphia Flyers signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90-million contract on July 3 ($18 million AAV), which the Ducks matched less than a week later.

Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks signed a five-year deal last month worth $15 million AAV, leaving Fantilli as the lone unsigned player among the top-three picks in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Fantilli’s numbers are nearly identical to Carlsson, meaning the Blue Jackets center is due for a significant raise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fantilli won’t get what Carlsson got, and he probably won’t get a deal similar to Bedard’s. Nevertheless, he could receive around $13 million annually on a five-year contract.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar has put a stronger emphasis on his conditioning during the offseason. He shares teammate Alex Vlasic’s belief that the rebuilding club can push for a playoff berth this season, and has spent time studying new teammate Patrick Kane’s stickhandling abilities.