A Canucks rebuild is long overdue

Things have not gone well for the Vancouver Canucks in 2025-26, but they might be embracing a true rebuild that is long overdue for a team that has largely struggled since winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011-12. 

Amid a weekend that saw the Canucks drop a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada, the most significant story may have been the content team. In an interview with Canucks team writer Chris Faber, general manager Patrik Allvin admitted that the Canucks were “transitioning into a rebuild.”

On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dove into what Allvin’s words could mean for the remainder of the current campaign, which sees the Canucks sitting 32nd of 32 NHL teams after 44 games.

Tyler Yaremchuk:  The Vancouver Canucks have fully bottomed out. They are dead last in the entire NHL with a .420 points percentage. 

The Vancouver Canucks put out a video of their content team interviewing general manager Patrik Allvin, and the quote from Allvin himself was “we are transitioning into a rebuild.” It’s kind of the first time they’ve used that word in Vancouver. They’ve done a hybrid retool, and this is on the fly, and whatever they were trying to do to mask it, but it feels like the Vancouver Canucks have finally sat down and said they’re going to bite the bullet and rebuild this thing. 

Which, now, you want to talk about, trading away everything that’s not nailed down. If you’re Vancouver, Kiefer Sherwood is as good as gone. Evander Kane, keep 50% of his contract, but find a contender to give you a third-round pick and get him out of there, and then you wonder about some bigger pieces, like you’re sitting there with both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen signed long term. Those are two goalies who are 30. Call around, see if you can get out of one of those contracts. See if you can get out of Demko before his no movement clause kicks in July. 

I’ve heard rumblings about Jake DeBrusk, obviously healthy-scratched a couple of weeks ago, but he started to play better. If you’re Vancouver, you try to get out of the DeBrusk contract. I think you maybe move on from Conor Garland before his no movement clause, I think there is a lot of work to do in Vancouver and if they’re coming out publicly on their official account is putting out videos of their GM saying, “we’re trending towards a rebuild,”  then everything has to be on the table, because it’s an unmitigated disaster in that market.

Carter Hutton: It is a disaster. I think that’s the only way to put it, from where they were to how quickly they’ve fallen. Thatcher Demko is on the IR again. I get we want to move him, but how do you move him now? You gave him that contract, and he’s hurt every second game. It’s tough because when he is on, he’s unbelievable. I get that side of it, and I think you always had that in the back of your head, if you’re the Vancouver Canucks, that, if he can figure this out, we become a powerhouse of a team. 

Now that Quinn Hughes is gone, and there are so many pieces, you’ve got to start testing the market now. I know pieces are starting to drop, and I think there’s going to be a bit of a stretch here as we get to the Olympic break, and then there’ll be a reset. I think anything goes at that point, you take a big look in the mirror, and you see what kind of team you are, because there are a few pieces here. Like, I think Garland’s a great, great player that any team would want to have. Imagine the addition of him on a depth team, on your third line, and what he can create in the way he plays. There are so many pieces that they can move out, and then you really can start to rebuild.

You can catch the full Canucks breakdown, as well as the rest of Monday’s episode, right here.