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Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks (Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)

Canucks News & Rumours: Reichel, Kampf, Edler, Cootes & Patterson

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Dec 2, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Vancouver Canucks are having a tough season. One positive sign, however, is that defenseman Elias Pettersson seems to have emerged from last season’s funk.

Now, the conversation keeps drifting back to the same questions: Who can take the weight off Pettersson? How do we measure legacy in a market that moves quickly? And which young prospects are rising fast enough to matter in the bigger picture? This week brought four reminders that the Canucks’ future is being built on many fronts at once—some loud, some quiet, all important.

Item One: Elias Pettersson Is Having a Much Better 2025-26 Season

Pettersson’s season so far shows a player quietly trending back toward the level Canucks fans expect from him. Last year, he put up 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games—a 0.70 points-per-game pace that projected to about 57 points over a full 82-game season. It wasn’t a bad campaign, but it was uneven, marked by stretches where his offence dried up. It was clear Pettersson was capable of more; the rhythm of his game never fully settled.

This season, through 26 games, the picture looks different—and better. With eight goals and 22 points, Pettersson is scoring at a 0.85 points-per-game clip, which projects to roughly 72 points over a full season. His goal pace has jumped significantly, and his playmaking remains sharp with 14 assists already. In short, even with the Canucks battling inconsistency nightly, Pettersson’s game is moving in the right direction, suggesting a return to the form that can help drive Vancouver’s offence.

Item Two: Canucks Haven’t Found an Answer at Second-Line Centre

If there’s one issue that keeps tugging at the hem of a strong start, it’s the revolving second-line centre job. The Canucks have tried it all—youth, experience, skill, stability—and nothing has quite clicked. Filip Chytil looked like the early answer before another head injury cut his momentum. Max Sasson chipped in a goal, but the spark didn’t last. Lucas Reichel arrived in a low-risk trade and did earn the only “second-line centre assist” of the season, though even that came on a simple touch in the defensive zone before others finished the play.

Now it’s David Kämpf’s turn. He brings structure, no question, but structure alone doesn’t build a second line. With playoff expectations hanging overhead and scoring talent waiting for a partner, the Canucks still haven’t found the fit they need. It’s becoming the quiet tension inside an otherwise confident start.

Item Three: Remembering Alex Edler, Who Built the Blueliner Blueprint

In a league that moves fast and forgets faster, Alex Edler’s name feels like it’s fading too quickly. Before Quinn Hughes arrived and rearranged every record, Edler was the standard for what a Canucks defenceman could be. Fifteen seasons, 925 games, nearly two decades of quiet excellence. When he signed a one-day contract last fall to retire as a Canuck, it felt like a pause button on an era.

Alex Edler, Vancouver Canucks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

He arrived in 2006 and steadily climbed past every defenceman in franchise history—99 goals and 409 points, well ahead of Mattias Öhlund. Ask Edler about it, and he goes straight to the leaders around him and the memories he carries. That humility is part of why he’s so easy to overlook. But make no mistake—Hughes may be the new face, but Edler built the road he’s skating on.

Item Four: Braeden Cootes Has a Burst of Solid Games

Braeden Cootes is lifting his Western Hockey League (WHL) Seattle Thunderbirds even when the results don’t fall the team’s way. Two goals in a 5–3 loss to the Victoria Royals on Monday capped off a burst of four strong games, pushing him to nine goals and 21 points in 14 contests. That’s not a hot streak—that’s a player finding his gear.

What makes Cootes stand out is the way he takes charge of a shift. He holds ice, reads play, finds seams, and refuses to drift on the perimeter. Seattle leans on him because he tilts the ice when he’s on it. If he keeps this pace, he’ll be one of the WHL’s most talked-about players by spring, and Vancouver won’t be far behind in evaluating how quickly he could push toward another NHL look.

Item Five: Riley Patterson: Quiet No More

Then there’s Riley Patterson, who did more than provide a spark last weekend; the 19-year-old centre lit the wick. Playing with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Niagara IceDogs, he put up six points in two games, which is the kind of burst that changes a season’s story. He now has 12 goals and 26 points through 22 games. More importantly, he looks like a player chasing the game rather than waiting for it.

Riley Patterson, Barrie Colts (Terry Wilson / OHL Images)

Patterson’s jump is obvious: he’s shooting more, skating with purpose, and forcing defenders into mistakes. The Canucks needed to see this kind of urgency from him, and heading into December, he suddenly feels like a prospect trending in the right direction, not a name on the “wait and see” list.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

The Canucks are in an interesting pocket of their season. The identity is forming. The blue line is anchored by Hughes, and the stars are doing star things. But the roster still has one important hole down the middle, and that storyline won’t go away until someone claims it decisively. At the same time, watching Cootes and Patterson rising gives the organization a broader sense of momentum—signs that help is coming, not just hope.

For now, Vancouver keeps moving forward with the group it has. But the pressure points are clear, and so are the bright spots. It’s not a bad place to be in December.