Vancouver Canucks News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Canucks News & Rumours: Hughes, Kane, Tolopilo & Pettersson

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 9:05 AM ET

Some weeks in a long NHL season feel noisy, full of wild swings and overreactions. Other weeks are quieter but reveal something a little deeper about where a team stands. This stretch for the Vancouver Canucks feels like the latter. Nothing catastrophic has happened (yet), but everything feels slightly off-kilter. A captain running a little low on fuel. A couple of roster shuffles. A scare that could have been worse. And a growing sense that the group needs to steady itself before the wobble becomes something more.

That’s how it goes in December hockey. Everyone’s a little tired, a little bruised, and a little more aware of the grind than they were a month ago. The Canucks are no different. They’re still in a good place, still competitive, still within shouting distance of where they expect to be. But the small stories surrounding the team this week paint a picture of a group trying to navigate the bumps without letting them turn into potholes. Let’s take a look at four of those storylines.

Item One: Quinn Hughes Hits an Inevitable Wall, and the Canucks Are Feeling It

For a stretch earlier this month, Quinn Hughes looked like he was operating on some higher plane. Ten assists in three games — and not soft ones, either — the kind of run that drags a player’s name back into lofty conversations alongside the greats. It felt like he’d found that old groove again, the one where everything he touched turned into controlled exits, smart entries, and clean assists.

But hockey has its own gravity, and even the best get pulled back to earth. Over his past six games, Hughes has just one goal and one assist, and both the numbers and the eye test tell the same story: he’s tired. The body language is heavy, the power play has cooled right off, and the mistakes — usually so rare — have crept in. This is a player who usually dictates the game’s temperature, and right now, he doesn’t quite look like himself.

A lot of that comes down to the workload. Hughes has been playing close to half of each game, averaging nearly 29 minutes and crossing the 30-minute mark twice. That’s an enormous strain for any defenseman. The Canucks depend on him for so much that it’s easy to forget he’s human. A short breather or a shift in deployment might help him reset — and the team, too. When Hughes is humming, Vancouver tends to follow.

Item Two: Evander Kane Avoids Serious Injury After Late-Game Scare

For a moment on Tuesday night, it looked like the Canucks might be facing a very different sort of conversation. Evander Kane took a skate across the forearm late against the Avalanche, the kind of injury that can turn serious in a hurry. Fortunately for everyone involved, early indications are that he avoided anything significant.

Head coach Adam Foote didn’t sound worried afterward, calling him day-to-day and hinting that Friday’s game is still on the table. That’s excellent news because Kane has been playing some of his most focused hockey lately — energetic, physical, and disruptive in the exact way the Canucks need from their middle six.

The real key now is avoiding setbacks. Wrist and forearm cuts can be nagging if not managed carefully. If he’s able to play Friday, great. If not, the Canucks will want to ensure they’re protecting the progress he’s made in his game. A fully engaged Kane can tilt matchups in their favour.

Item Three: Nikita Tolopilo Returns to Abbotsford After Clearing Personal Absence

On the goaltending front, Nikita Tolopilo’s return is a small but meaningful step for the organization. After some time away on personal leave, he was reinstated and reassigned to the AHL Abbotsford Canucks, where he’ll get back to regular starts. It might not be a headline-grabber, but it’s an essential bit of depth. He was recalled yesterday.

Nikita Tolopilo, Vancouver Canucks (Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Tolopilo’s brief NHL stint was a mixed bag — flashes of poise, moments where the game’s speed challenged him — but nothing unusual for a young goaltender finding his footing. His American Hockey League (AHL) numbers reflect that same pattern of steady but still-developing performance.

For the Canucks, the real value here lies in the long term. They like his size, his movement, and his potential to grow into a dependable option. Abbotsford gives him exactly what he needs: structure, minutes, and space to develop without the microscope.

Item Four: Elias Pettersson’s Yo-Yos Back and Forth

Elias Pettersson has been back and forth so often this week that you almost expect someone to hold the door open between Vancouver and Abbotsford. But this isn’t a story about a young defenceman losing ground. It’s a story about roster mechanics, tight margins, and a team trying to buy itself a little flexibility.

Pettersson’s brief reassignment to Abbotsford wasn’t a punishment, and it certainly wasn’t a reaction to poor play. In his 24 NHL games, he’s been exactly what the Canucks needed him to be: physical, straightforward, and steady in his own end. He’s not built for eye-popping numbers, and his one goal, four assists, and a pile of blocked shots tell you what type of work he does.

Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

The “demotion” was really just a paper move, a way to shuffle pieces during a tight roster stretch. The irony, of course, is that Vancouver isn’t deep on the back end. With Pettersson out of the lineup, the Canucks were down to six healthy defencemen heading into a long travel run and some hard, heavy matchups. Nobody expected him to stay in Abbotsford long, and sure enough, he was recalled yesterday.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

This is one of those weeks that tests a team’s balance. The Canucks aren’t in crisis, but they are in a moment where small corrections matter. A bit of rest for Hughes, careful management with Kane, steady development time for Tolopilo and Pettersson — these aren’t headline moves, but they’re the kinds of adjustments that keep a season on track.

Vancouver’s next task is simple: get back to playing with rhythm. They don’t need to reinvent anything. They need their captain refreshed, their injured players protected, and their depth players confident in their roles. If they can manage that, this little December wobble will be nothing more than a footnote.