5 Takeaways From Canucks’ Loss Versus Hurricanes

Yesterday’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Carolina Hurricanes was a battle of haves versus have-nots. The reigning Stanley Cup champions against the team that finished last in 2025-26. The odds were stacked against the Canucks from the beginning, and it ended up going pretty much how you’d expect. British Columbia native Logan Stankoven even had his first hat trick, a natural one to boot, against his hometown squad.

Still, even if this was the kind of game coaches would want to throw out the film from, there are a few major things that can be taken away from the game.

The Hurricanes Are What the Canucks Should Aspire to Be

Obviously, every team should try to do what they can to be like the Stanley Cup champions, but the Canucks have a unique opportunity to model their rebuild around the Hurricanes’ philosophy.

For one, Manny Malhotra shares a lot in common with Rod Brind’Amour. Both were exceptionally responsible centers who excelled on winning teams because of their cerebral nature and exceptional work ethic. Both also served as assistant coaches with the teams they now run in the past, with Malhotra also, of course, having the stint as a Calder Cup champion head coach in Abbotsford. Brind’Amour, through his leadership and knowledge of the game, has transformed the Hurricanes into the toughest squad to play against. They’re suffocating and also get lots of chances. It’s difficult for any coach to obtain this level of discipline and intelligence from their team, but if someone can do it, Malhotra seems to be a good bet.

The Hurricanes don’t really have the impressive top-end talent other recent Stanley Cup winners do. Yes, Sebastian Aho is great, Jaccob Slavin may be the best shutdown defenseman of the era, and Andrei Svechnikov was a lottery pick. However, none are the flashy players who win the major awards. Those kinds of players are often acquired via high draft picks, which the Canucks don’t have the best luck obtaining. If the Canucks draft right for the next few years, though, they may not need that key piece if they can run several great lines and pairings.

Depth and a team buying into a system are what the Canucks should focus on with this rebuild.

The Power Play Is Leaky

The Canucks had a few chances on the power play yesterday, but they were unable to convert. There were a couple of good chances, like the snipe from Elias Pettersson that Pyotr Kotchetkov was able to glove. With that said, for the most part, the power play looked sloppy. The Hurricanes are going to be good when down a man, especially as they’ve consistently been one of the top penalty kills in the Brind’Amour era. Still, the passing and decision-making need to be tightened up, and allowing a shorthanded goal is never a great look.

DeBrusk Can Still Score, Even With His Struggles

The saga of Jake DeBrusk with the Canucks has been really interesting. It seemed like he was going to come in and replace some of the production the Canucks lost in the 2024 offseason. Unfortunately, while he’s put up solid numbers that justify his contract on the surface, he’s struggled in other areas and at times has looked out of place on the team.