2025-26 Puck Drop Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2025‑26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2025‑26 Vancouver Canucks.

2025-26 Puck Drop Preview: Vancouver Canucks

2024-25 Season

The Vancouver Canucks narrowly missed the playoffs last season, with an internal collapse due to the Elias Pettersson/J.T. Miller drama affecting the team as a whole. The team went 38-10-14, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division. Jake DeBrusk led the Canucks in goals with 28. Meanwhile, captain Quinn Hughes scored 16 goals and 76 points through 68 games to lead the team in scoring. In net, Kevin Lankinen proved himself as a starting goaltender in the league, recording a 25-15-10 record. Behind him, Thatcher Demko went 10-8-3 in an injury-riddled season.

2025 Offseason

The Vancouver Canucks suffered a bit of an identity crisis this offseason coming off the heels of a disappointing season. Star forward Brock Boeser extended in Vancouver after months of speculation that he would leave, signing for five years at an average annual value of $7.25 million. The team also extended Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland. Demko was extended for three more seasons at an average annual value of $8.5 million. Garland was extended for four seasons at an average annual value of $6 million. The team also allowed centre Pius Suter to walk in free agency in addition to trading winger Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams biggest splash came in the form of trading for 34-year-old Evander Kane, currently on an expiring deal worth $5.125 million.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

DeBrusk – Pettersson – Boeser

Kane – Chytil – Garland

Hoglander – Raty – Sherwood

Sasson – Blueger – O’Connor

Top Six

The top six of the Vancouver Canucks is a clear downgrade from just two seasons ago. Where the team once possessed weapons like J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat, this top six looks far lighter. The play of the topline depends on star Elias Pettersson. Pettersson has shown an ability to produce at an elite level, scoring 39 goals and 102 points in the 2022-23 season. However, his production has declined over his last season and a half. After a slow finish to the 2023-24 season, Pettersson scored just 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games last season. He’ll centre Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk. Boeser scored 25 goals last season, while DeBrusk scored 28. Both wingers have shown their ability to produce when put in the right situations, however, the play of Elias Pettersson will make or break this topline.

The second line is once again riddled with questions. Evander Kane, 33, missed the entirety of the last regular season, making his season debut in the playoffs with the Edmonton Oilers. Kane has scored 20+ goals in nine different seasons, and that kind of production will be paramount to the Canucks success. Similarly, Filip Chytil has dealt with tons of health issues across his career. He has missed significant time throughout his career. When available, he’s shown the ability to play a solid two-way game. There is concern over him playing at 2C, as his career high in points is just 45, produced with a powerhouse New York Rangers team. Conor Garland is the steady presence on this line. The undersized forward has scored 45-52 points in each of his last four seasons, including 50 points last year.

Bottom Six

The bottom six group looks fine on paper, but comes with many question marks of their own. Aatu Raty, 22, has played in just 33 NHL games, all last season. In these games, he produced seven goals and 11 points. Him and Teddy Blueger will be relied on to anchor a group without a clear identity. Kiefer Sherwood is a wrecking ball that scored 19 goals and 40 points last season. Meanwhile, Nils Hoglander scored eight goals and 25 points. Sherwood and Hoglander will both need to take further steps to give this Canucks team lacking in offence meaningful minutes. Drew O’Connor struggled following a trade from Pittsburgh, scoring just four goals and nine points in 31 games. Finally, Max Sasson scored 3 goals and seven points last season. He’ll be in competition with players like Linus Karlsson, Nils Aman, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki for a spot in the lineup.

Defence

Hughes – Hronek

Marcus Pettersson – Myers

Elias Pettersson – Forbort

Top Four

The defensive group is the highlight of this Canucks team. Where they’ve lost forward talent like Miller, Horvat and Elias Lindholm, the team has parlayed these losses into a top-ten defensive group. This starts with superstar Quinn Hughes. Hughes is only 25 years old, and has already captured a Norris Trophy. His 76 points put him on pace to surpass his previous career high of 92 points in 82 games, only being stopped by injuries. While Hughes has always been a great defenceman, being paired with Filip Hronek has allowed him to blossom into a top-tier point prodiucer. Hronek, 27, is gearing up for his fourth season in Vancouver. He scored five goals and 33 points in 61 games last season. When Hughes and Hronek are paired together, they’re one of the best defensive pairings in the world. Health will be a crucial factor in their performance this season.

The addition of Marcus Pettersson gives the rest of the defence is a backbone when Hughes and Hronek aren’t on the ice. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 29-year-old has extensive experience in playing in a top-four role. He’s capable of producing points and shutting down opposition. He scored a goal and 11 points in 31 games with Vancouver last season, acting as a stabilizing factor during the injuries to Hughes and Hronek. Similarly, Tyler Myers has settled into a crucial role for the Canucks’ defence. The 35-year-old scored six goals and 24 points in 71 games last season. Past an elite top pairing, Pettersson and Myers are crucial to the success of the Canucks.

Bottom Pair

The defensive Elias Pettersson made a positive impression in his rookie season in 2024-25. In 28 games, he scored a goal and three points, while giving relatively meaningful minutes. He’ll be paired with veteran defender Derek Forbort. Forbort, 33, scored two goals and 11 points in 54 games last season. He struggled to keep up with the pace of play due to aging, and this may continue going into this season.

Goalies

Thatcher Demko

Kevin Lankinen

When healthy, Thatcher Demko is likely the starter for the Vancouver Canucks. Demko struggled last season, going 10-8-3 with a .889 save percentage. This is far below the league average .900 in 2024-25. Coming off surgery, the former all-star will look to rebound in 2025-26. Behind him, Kevin Lankinen increased his stock heavily last season. With Demko’s absence, Lankinen played in 51 games last year. Going 25-15-10 with a .902 save percentage, he earned himself a long-term five-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million. Demko struggled last season and has a long track record of injuries. Meanwhile, Lankinen’s 51 games are 14 more than his career-high that he put up in his rookie season back in 2020-21. The Canucks will need both to produce well and be available to ensure they’re able to provide the support their elite defensive group will play off of for success.

Players to Watch

Elias Pettersson (Forward)

There is no single player more pivotal to the Canucks success this season than Elias Pettersson. At his best, Pettersson is a 30+ goal scoring, 82+ point scoring franchise centre. Pettersson is the forward that’s survived through years of drama with other core players like JT Miller and Bo Horvat. Now is the time for him to grab the opportunity and establish himself as a top-tier centre in the league. The success of the Canucks rests on his and Quinn Hughes’ shoulders. If he’s able to return to a PPG pace, the Canucks will be setup to do well in the wildcard race, if not the Pacific Division race. If Pettersson was to falter, with Hughes’ contract up in two years, another disappointing season could lead to a retool or full-blow rebuild for this organization.

Filip Chytil

Once a blue-chip prospect, Vancouver needs Filip Chytil to perform well this season. Chytil was traditionally used as a 3C in New York.  The Canucks, however, are leaning on Chytil to perform like a 2C. This may not be realistic however, as Chytils missed significant time in five of his last six NHL seasons (15 games or more). Even when playing, Chytil’s PPG is just 0.43, far too low for a competitive team’s second-line centre. With a second-year rookie and bottom six veteran next up in the depth chart in Raty and Blueger, all eyes are on Chytil and Pettersson to perform as top-six centres if the Canucks hope to make the playoffs.

Prediction for the 2025-26 Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks fell below fan expectations last season by missing the playoffs. Years-long drama that had already resulted in moving former captain Bo Horvat was a subject of pain for most of 2024-25. With problem players like Miller finally gone from the organization, the hope is that the players left, like Pettersson and Hughes, can pick-up the pieces and get the Canucks back into the playoffs. This hope, however, may be misplaced.

Although the defence is much improved from a few seasons ago, the offence of the Canucks is worryingly shallow. Elias Pettersson is the biggest question mark on the team. He’s dealt with injuries and personal issues, and may not be the 1C fans expected him to be. Behind him, the addition of an older, injury prone player like Evander Kane makes little sense while letting go of Swiss-army knife middle-six forwards like Pius Suter. There is certainly talent on the roster like Boeser, Garland, and DeBrusk, but the makeup of the Canucks is geared too much towards relying on play being driven by players like Pettersson, Chytil, and Hughes, all of whom have displayed many concerns with health and availability. Given these factors, we predict the Vancouver Canucks to miss the playoffs once again this season, likely finishing in the 4-5 range in the division as they did in 2024-25.