Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Nucks Fan Rebuild & Retool Center - Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
We got some picks, we got a trade, we're looking forward!
To be completely clear: I am not an NHL scout. Yes, I see some tape, but those tend to be highlight reels, which only show the best of a player, not the whole player. I read and heard a lot of scouting reports from folks who do the actual work, some public, some pay. What you're reading here is a combination of what I've read, heard, and seen, but it's other people putting in the real work. If you want more, hunt them down and definitely check out tape for yourself. It's fun!
Now, without further ado, what the Vancouver Canucks did done:
With the first draft under GM Ryan Johnson complete, what can we glean of their intent? Actions speak louder than words, and we haven't seen a whole lot of on-ice choices yet. This is, essentially, our first chance to see what the White Collars are thinking.
The odds-on favourite to go first to Vancouver went first to Vancouver. A lot of smoke was billowing in the week leading up to Draft Day, but when it cleared, Caleb Malhotra was their pick. There are loads of reasons to like Malhotra, on and off the ice. The phrase "future captain" comes up a LOT in his scouting reviews.
Clearly, the team decided to go to the centre instead of defence, but it is a rational decision. They didn't reach for him because there were a half-dozen players you could justify taking. Funny thing is, the player I thought of with last year's selection of Braden Cootes was "Bo Horvat light". With Malhotra, it's "imaginative Bo Horvat".
The same critique of Horvat sits on Malhotra: his skating. He knows where he needs to go, and he skates well enough to get there. And that's about it for criticism. He's very good defensively, proactive in breaking up plays and knocking people off the puck. He can pass it up and out, ideally following a teammate in and getting the return pass in the offensive zone. He protects the puck well, plays on the boards, and can score.
His floor is an excellent, third-line centre who desperate teams might move to the first. His ceiling is an excellent second-line centre that an average team has on the first. You know: Bo Horvat.
The Canucks got, possibly, a steal? Lots of scouting types were very happy with Vancouver picking up Adam Novotný at 24. Craig Button had him at 26, but the vast majority of pre-draft lists put Novotný in the mid-teens. He absolutely looks like an NHL player, little doubt there. Sturdy guy, decent skater, plays the body well, and his best offence is to get the puck off someone, skate in and shoot.
Hopefully, that straightforward game doesn't just translate well to the NHL but is the basis for some more imaginative play. Malhotra will occasionally take risks and try something different to see if he can pull it off, while Novotný takes a safer route. That "safer route" is for him, obviously, not his opponents. They're going to have a generally bad time getting past him/out of their zone if he catches them with the puck.
His NHL calling card might leave him in the bottom-six as a floor. With the right linemates, he can be the guy who plays puck retriever for the top line as his ceiling.
An 18-year-old giant at 6'7" and 236 lbs, it's a bit tough not to give Brooks Rogowski some grace. There's being awkward after a growth spurt, then there's being 6'7" at 18. At the start of the year, he looked like a guy who could reliably put in the work on the defensive side. As the season went on and he got more comfortable, he started doing things like controlling mid-air passes and no-look passes.
He's confirmed to Michigan State in two years, staying in Oshawa for 2026-26. Oshawa was lousy offensively last season and the worst team in the league. That situation can give Rogowski a lot of opportunities. It will be very interesting to see how he develops from here - and what his coaches ask of him.
Who's up for learning the Viking Row? Niklas Aaram-Olsen is the first Norwegian drafted by Vancouver, and if he makes it, will be the first to play for them. But he wasn't drafted for Pokémon reasons. Here's what he does:
I don't put a whole lot into the draft combine, but Aaram-Olsen shows up in the results repeatedly. Third in the Wingate power output test; third in the 10 metre sprint; first in the shuttle agility test, both left and right sides; seventh in bench press; tenth in hands-on-hips, no arm swing jump; and first in the standing long jump. The guy's got a physique, and he's not afraid to use it! But what's all that mean on the ice?
He's decently fast, but more than that, he's very quick. He breaks ankles when he's carrying the puck. He also has a variety of shots and gets it off at different angles, leaving goalies guessing. The risk is that he might think that those skills are enough. He played 16 SHL games last year and takes the defensive side seriously when lined up against men, but it came at the cost of his offence.
Dmitri Ivchenko played in the MHL (the Russian equivalent of the AHL) as a backup for a very good Omskie Yastreby team. He has a .922 goals against average, which sounds incredible until you realize that puts him 30th in the league overall. It's still good, but make sure you know what the stats mean when you read them.
His selling points are being a calm character. When he's in position, he has excellent control of his extremities, snapping his hands and feet into a blocking position. He does have issues outside the posts, losing track of the puck up high, and if he has to move side-to-side, he can go past his posts. Everyone remembers Arturs Silovs' second year, right? Thing is, we probably won't see Ivchenko for another three years - and that's if he agrees to go to Abbotsford. Who we'll see then is a bit of a mystery.
So first things first. Yaroslav Bryzgalov is not a good skater. And he also plays a fast game. These aren't the opposites they seem.
Bryzgalov is big in a phone booth, a player you can trust to win the puck when the battle takes place in four square feet along the boards. He's also a very good passer and knows where the puck should go before he gets it. If any opponent isn't paying attention, he'll make them play. One or two hits from him, and the entire team starts looking over their shoulders.
If he can get his foot speed up, even a little, he can get NHL minutes, though probably on the fourth line.
What's an NHL team without a Connor these days? Connor Davis is a perpetual motion machine, always skating after the puck. He likes to attack defencemen directly, and when the puck gets to the net, he'll buzz around it, looking for a jam, a wrap-around, any opportunity to get it across the line.
A re-entry, like Bryzgalov, he's a bit older than most players taken, so there's some concern he's as big as he's going to get. Still, 6' even is plenty big enough for an agitator, and he's heading to North Dakota next year to improve his skills.
When the draft gets past the 150-mark, you get players like Lucian Bernát. The 6'4", 200 lbs Bernát had an excellent statistical year in the Finnish U20 league for a rookie. His shoot-first mentality led to him being the second-highest scorer on the team. But that scoring dried up in the playoffs, and he ended up in penalty trouble instead of helping the team. He does love making contact as part of his game, but it's also a matter of timing.
We'll get a closer look this season when he joins Owen Sound.
"It's late, grab a big Swede and let's go."
-Imagined conversation among Canucks scouts at every draft
That's not entirely fair, but there are years when it feels like it. Eriksson is, indeed, a 6'6" Swede, and his focus is on defence. His first thought is to pin some poor forward that's fallen within his reach, but his second thought is to overthink it. His physical tools are plentiful, but his mind is not up to speed just yet. Practice and time might get him there, but he's drafted in the sixth round for a reason.
Yes, GM Johnson pulled off his first NHL trade on Day Two of the draft! It was:
A sixth-round pick from the 2026 draft, #161 overall, for a fifth-round pick in 2027, TBD
That is, technically, moving up in the draft. Eh, we'll take it.
Happy Draft Day(s), y'all!
The biggest event is, obviously, the draft itself and what the Vancouver Canucks will do with the third overall pick. The reason why teams want to draft as high as possible is for the options, and the Canucks have plenty.
But there's more going on than that, isn't there?
Everyone involved has finally accepted that the team is undergoing a rebuild, and they aren't hedging. The tricky part is believing management when they say so, given the past decade of desperate scrabbling for a playoff spot. There's plenty of evidence that ownership wants to cut costs, if not corners, and that raises alarms.
That being said, there is also plenty of evidence that management is unified in their determination to change. I thought Tyler Myers would never agree to leave, but off he went to Texas. Conor Garland heading out was less of a surprise, and both moves brought back draft picks rather than players. We like that.
As of this minute, Vancouver has ten picks this year, three of which are in the sixth round. That's fine, the more darts the better after the second round. They also have $22 million in cap space with 21 players signed to NHL contracts. There is zero pressure to sign anyone, improve the team for next season, or find any kind of quick fix. This is about as good a starting point as they could hope for.
Trades are fun! Everyone (except the players, usually) loves trades! But player trades might not happen before the draft starts tonight, and that's okay. It would be nice to see the team set up for the next few years in one weekend, but it's not essential. There's another draft next year, and getting picks for then is fine, too. We're looking at a long-term plan here, right? No need to force a trade just because one's available quickly.
The free agent pool is sparse. There are going to be opportunities for trades after July 1st and well before the season starts. Yes, they have to stay above the salary floor, and they're only about $5 million clear. They can overpay for a couple free agents, but you don't want to bring in players who might block the opportunity of the players you want to develop. And the players demanding the highest pay aren't likely to sign here.
We've talked about it plenty, but the team should be ready to move anyone. Literally any of their veterans should be available at the right price, and I do think they are. But selling all of them immediately is the wrong move. You do want someone who's been here to be, in effect, a guide to the city and the team. Player churn only works when you're moving secondary players around a successful core, and we don't have that yet.
Expect two of the bigger names to get moved this Summer, before the draft or after. More than that is pretty unlikely.
I know what I like here, and I like a pile of the defencemen. Assuming Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg go, then I have four defencemen ahead of any of the other forwards. Any of a half dozen players is fine at number three, though. We don't know how their careers will turn out, and the differences between them look really minute as far as skills go, but the styles are all over the map. No telling what teams' preferences will be until they draft!
Why do I like the defencemen? I think the upper result for, say, Caleb Malhotra or Viggo Björk is a very good second-line centre, where the defencemen I like are top-pair, if not #1s. Both are in demand, but of those two, I know which are harder to find. Plus, 2027 looks pretty stacked for centre options.
If the Canucks want to trade down, I'm more than happy for them to. Acquire more darts, even if you're taking a step back. The next few seasons are when they want the picks, so go get them.
It would be nice if they added some local colour in Mathis Preston or Ryan Lin or the Ruck twins, they shouldn't stretch for them. I'll be disappointed of they lose assets for the sake of getting the Rucks in the first round, for instance.
There's some fun in watching the breakdown of a team, like watching construction workers dismantle a house. A bit sad, but the foundation was rotting so it has to go. Hopefully, a much more stable one is getting built in its place.
Unlike houses, a hockey team can be built and torn down at the same time. We've seen some of the structure already, with Liam Öhgren, Zeen Buium, and Marco Rossi coming in from the Minnesota Wild trade. Next, we're getting a hit at the foundation.
Mostly what we all want to see is a design. Trades or no trades, that's going to start with the third overall pick today.
Well. Not exactly keeping the momentum going from the past week, but a few more deals worth talking about have happened since Tuesday.
Nothing yet on the Vancouver Canucks front. I can understand people being eager to see how the new White Collars will shape the team in their own image, but that might start in the draft, not before. Personally, I'm okay with that: I'd rather we get draft picks for the 2027 draft, all things being equal. But I'm looking forward to seeing what move they make for this season, too.
To Colorado Avalanche:
Fyodor Svechkov
To Nashville Predators:
2029 3rd round pick, TBD
Colorado seems to be looking to shore up their bottom-six cheaply, moving Drury out and letting Kirivanta walk. The new arrivals are both a bit younger than Drury, so maybe that's also playing a part. They have yet to live up to their first-round draft selections, and that can appeal to Colorado.
Drury is a solid, 25-ish point, fourth-line player looking for a new contract. He's good on the penalty kill, and VERY good in the circle. Bradley's had a cup of coffee in the NHL and had a great playoffs with the Colorado Eagles last year, so he could get a shot.
Effect on Vancouver:
Nashville clearly see themselves as competing for a playoff spot this season. Fewer sellers the better, say Cancuks fans!
To Buffalo Sabres:
2027 3rd round pick, TBD
To Washington Capitals:
The Sabres wanted to keep Tuch, obviously. After missing the playoffs for many, many seasons, they were hoping he would choose to return to the team he helped break that cycle. A bit of a shame, as Buffalo didn't just "make the playoffs" but smashed the 100-point barrier, winning their division with 109. They got what they could for his rights, negotiating a sign-and-trade to the destination of his choice.
As for the Capitals, I guess they're really doing this. Alex Ovechkin hasn't officially said he's retiring, and the team has $14 million in cap space left after bringing in Tuch and Jordan Kyrou. You don't offer big money to 30-year-old players for their seventh and eighth seasons.
Effect on Vancouver:
Making their own eight-year offerings to free agents look reasonable, I guess? Seeing Canucks Legend David Kampf is still in the league?
More seriously, Elias Pettersson's contract is already starting to look better with the sign-and-trade deals handed out. There may be a market for him building up out there. Given the increase in cap space, even though this is the least attractive year to trade him, maybe something happens.
The Pittsburgh Penguins place a minor bet on Hendrix Lapierre; the Florida Panthers add a hitter in the ancient Garnett Hathaway; the New Jersey Devils get defensive depth with Declan Chisholm and an awesome name in Amadeus Lombardi. Draft picks from the third round and later went the other way in all of these, and none of the players should be particularly impactful this year.
The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets swapped their own "not yet"s in Hunter McKown and Luke Tuch (yes, related, brother). At least one interesting deal did go down today, though.
To Columbus Blue Jackets:
To Colorado Avalanche:
2026 2nd round pick, #43 overall
2027 3rd round pick, TBD
2028 5th round pick, TBD
Columbus and Colorado have very different goals in mind, here. The Blue Jackets are pushing for the playoffs after a six-year absence, and the Avalanche are looking for finishing touches on a Stanley Cup challenger. The pressure is on for Columbus, which has some very good young players coming up. They need to show those players that the team isn't irrelevant, and that means making regular appearances in the second season. Zach Werenski is also making noises, and fair enough.
Nichushkin isn't a star, but he is an extremely useful all-around player. He plays both special teams, adds 20 goals and 50 points to the middle-six, and will help fill the space with Mason Marchment likely gone. Colorado is running out of time for another Cup with their current roster, and this looks like a salary-clearing move. They're going to need more, though: that $11 million cap space doesn't look as good when you see they only have 17 NHL contracts on the books.
Effect on Vancouver:
Unless the Avalanche are going to make a pitch for one of the Canucks' players, not much. They're at wildly different parts of their cycles, so not a lot of relevance to each other just yet.
Okay! I think that's got us all caught up for now. At least for the next few hours, before things get interesting.
Well. THAT was interesting.
Nine - NINE - first-round picks changed hands in the past three days. go back to Friday, and it's been a half-dozen big moves in the days leading up to the 2026 NHL entry draft. The Vancouver Canucks haven't dipped their toes in yet, but you can bet they're paying attention.
Vancouver is probably the only team that is starting a rebuild this year. They should be pure sellers on talent, but they don't need to sell everything now. This is a long-term project, and the first phase of it will be done over a few years, not a few weeks.
That all being said, these prices have been something amazing. A relatively weak draft year plus a predictably increasing salary cap should have been plenty of impetus for trades, but this shit's crazy. This website being what it is, let's take a look at what those moves were and how they affected Vancouver's plans.
To Toronto Maple Leafs:
Darren Raddysh sign-and-trade
To Tampa Bay Lightning:
2026 5th round pick, #133 overall
So, most players who don't make it to the NHL until they're 25 don't get 8 x $8.5 million contracts. Raddysh has played three full seasons, and they've been good seasons. Last year was his breakout, getting 22 goals and 70 points with Tampa Bay. He's also 30 years old, which is an interesting age at which to sign an eight-year deal.
They got this one in early enough to get that eight-year deal, as the rules are changing for 2026-27. Tampa essentially got an agent's "finder's fee" for arranging the deal with Toronto. And now the Leafs can move the slightly older Morgan Rielly.
Effect on Vancouver:
If the Canucks do get a fortune offer for Filip Hronek, Rielly could fill in to some degree. But neither one of those is likely to happen. He apparently has given a list of four teams he'll agree to move to in the West, so I suppose that's an effect?
To Seattle Kraken:
To Florida Panthers:
2026 1st round pick, #25 overall
2027 2nd round pick, TBD
We covered this deal last column, and it's a swing by a team looking to make an impression soon. If Samoskevich pans out, that'll help Seattle. It's a bit hard to see him as a first-line guy, but if it worked for Vancouver getting JT Miller out of Tampa Bay, maybe the younger version will work for the Kraken.
Effect on Vancouver:
I mean, we're all expecting Seattle to be better than Vancouver for a few years, right? In an ideal world, Samoskevich is starring on a Kraken team trying to keep the Canucks out of the playoffs in three or four years. Otherwise? *shrug*
To Florida Panthers:
To Ottawa Senators:
2026 1st round pick, #9 overall
2026 1st round pick, #25 overall
2027 2nd round pick, TBD
2029 1st round pick, TBD, top-10 protected
For a forced deal, that's a pretty good haul for the Senators! They want to improve quickly, and draft picks this year aren't going to do that. But those same picks are cash money, as we'll see.
Effect on Vancouver:
Since the Canucks have neither a Brady Tkachuck, nor an interest in giving away picks, not much. A very specific situation at a very specific moment in time.
To Calgary Flames:
To New Jersey Devils:
Etienne Morin
2026 2nd round pick, #35 overall
2027 1st round pick, top-10 protected
2028 1st round pick, top-10 protected twice (it's complicated)
The Devils are losing a guy who isn't all that happy with them in 22-year old RHD Nemec. Fair enough, they keep bringing in better defencemen. Or at least ones they've given more opportunities to, which is where the unhappiness lies.
Tsyplakov is an interesting player. He's only been in the league for a couple seasons, starting his career on Long Island with a bang (and crash) before getting moved to New Jersey. From 35 points in his first year to just four in his second, we don't really know where he'll end up. He is a very physical player, strong on the boards and as a net-front presence.
Morin split time between the AHL and ECHL last season, but he is just 21. There's time for the young defender to course-correct yet.
Effect on Vancouver:
The Flames just got a bunch more annoying to play against. Great.
To Ottawa Senators:
Kasper Halttunen
Brandon Svoboda
To San Jose Sharks:
2026 1st round pick, #9 overall
I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but Sharks general manager Mike Grier has, I think, done a phenomenal job with San Jose. His teardown of the team was remorseless when needed, but his thoughtfulness about protecting the young stars is also exemplary. He's taken swings when he can, but importantly he's had the resources to do so. We'll see how he continues with the tougher portion of the program: returning to contention.
Eklund is the draw here, obviously. Halttunen put in a good showing in the AHL, but he and NCAA forward Svoboda are still prospects. Eklund won't replace everything Brady Tkachuk brings, but that's for better and worse. He's a bit younger, a bunch cheaper, and not as prone to penalty trouble. But he doesn't have anything like Tkachuk's physical presence, and hasn't put up the same scoring numbers - yet.
Effect on Vancouver:
San Jose will almost certainly pick the best player available - they usually do - so Ivar Stenberg isn't making it to #3. Sorry, Canucks fans.
To Washington Captials:
To St Louis Blues:
Milton Gästrin
2026 1st round pick, #16 overall
Seriously? Kyrou FINALLY got traded? Smoke 'em if you got 'em, folks! It's been, what, five years he's been on the trade boards, either at the deadline or in the offseason? Maybe six? Well, he's got to be relieved that it's over, whether he wanted to get dealt away or not.
McMichael has been a decent young centre, but he's been passed on the depth chart by similarly-aged players. He should be a top-six centre with the Blues. Gästrin has played a single game in North America, so it's wait and see for him.
Effect on Vancouver:
The Blues moved Kyrou, which is great for the Canucks. But they also have four first-round picks this draft. They aren't finished yet.
To Chicago Blackhawks:
To Buffalo Sabres:
2026 1st round pick, #4 overall
2026 2nd round pick, #45 overall
Chicago certainly got tougher to play against, and their defence certainly improved a large amount. How much, you ask? Louis Crevier was the Blackhawks' highest defensive scorer last season, that's how much. Crevier isn't a bad player, exactly, but he's not going to be a needle-mover.
This looks like a deal where someone told management that Connor Bedard was considering how long to sign his second contract for and they panicked. Byram and Greenway make their team better, but they are both unrestricted free agents next year.
Effect on Vancouver:
Counting the days until 2030 when Bedard becomes a free agent. Still, maybe Chicago will improve enough that the Canucks won't accidentally pass them this season.
Alex Tuch to Washington? Hoo, boy. I'm gonna be doing a few of these this week, never mind a draft recap.
Hat tip to PuckPedia, of course
Interesting times, with a week yet to go before Draft Day(s)! The NHL announced not just an increase in the salary cap, but what that increase will be over the next three seasons. Rich teams are looking for innovative ways to spend it, and smaller teams are trying to take advantage. Vancouver is in the in-between, being a rich team but also selling players. The only question is who, and when. Okay, fine, two questions.
Jason Dickinson isn't a bad player.* The 30-year-old centre has pretty good speed, runs around 50% in the circle, and can kill penalties in a pinch. He'll get you about 25 points in your bottom-six, which is...some. That he is also, apparently, a five-year, $20 million man to the Edmonton Oilers certainly highlights what effect the increased cap space will have on the league.
Darren Raddysh's sign-and-trade let the Tampa Bay Lightning salvage a fifth-round pick for a player they couldn't keep. How delighted he'll be with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the next eight seasons is unknown, but for $68 million, it's worth finding out.
Looking at those numbers can give any of us Olds sticker shock. Since when is $4 million a year the going price for a mediocre, bottom-six centre? And since when are teams giving bottom-six players five-year deals? And wasn't Edmonton in a perpetual cap crunch? And... Wait, where's Jack Roslovic? And as for Raddysh, at least he's been a top-pair defenceman and has a hammer of a shot. But he's also 30 years old and has all of three full NHL seasons under his belt. Toronto currently has $32 million tied up in their top-six defencemen. That's probably going to change soon.
The common thread between these teams is their stars. Auston Matthews has two years left on his contract; Connor McDavid has two left on his. The free agent lists are sparse, to say the least, so a team feeling the pressure to improve finds other ways to do it. How can Vancouver take advantage of that?
For the Canucks, neither of these deals is a good example of what they can do in moving players. Dickinson was already with Edmonton, and Raddysh was unrestricted and had the hammer. If he didn't want to go to a team, he couldn't stop the deal, but he could wait two weeks and sign anywhere else. No one on Vancouver's roster matches those conditions.
Useful as Teddy Blueger is, if he gets offered Jason Dickinson money (can't believe I typed that), it won't be by the Canucks. And given the total lack of interest at the trade deadline, Vancouver's not getting a big return from someone wanting to talk to him early.
Much more interesting is the recent Seattle Kraken - Florida Panthers deal. Mackie Samoskevich brought Florida a later first and an unknown second. Samoskevich is a 23-year-old, fourth-line winger who played some centre in junior. Seattle is almost certainly going to offer him a long-term deal in hopes that, as he ages and gets more opportunity, he will become a good value contract. He's been very productive in limited ice time, so maybe it'll translate, maybe not. But even if it falls through, Dickinson set the salary bar for guys who get limited ice time.
Seattle paid a high price, but Samoskevich's age warranted it. Yes, they're taking some risk in giving up two picks, but they also believe they are ready to improve. They want to become playoff regulars and are willing to pay for it. It's not a position that Vancouver will be in for at least four or five seasons, but when they are, they'll need Seattle's currency: draft picks.
Florida isn't a team that's building for the future. Look at their PuckPedia page, and "23" isn't an age that appears until you reach ECHL defenceman Evan Nause. This is a team of 30-year-olds and a few who are close to it. Anton Lundell is their youngest player of consequence at 24. Their first-round picks over the next three years are gone. So, no, this isn't a team thinking of winning in four or five years. Closer to ten.
Don't get me wrong! They're going to ride their current horses until they break a leg, but the team knows that's only so far. Father Time remains undefeated, no matter what the weirdly glisteny billionaires tell themselves.
This is the sort of time frame I want to see the Canucks employ.
New GM Ryan Johnson and new coach Manny Malhotra each have three-year deals. That's fine, so long as no one pretends this team will be good in three years. In three years, we want to see progress on the foundation of a team ready to compete. Depth in the minors, young stars establishing themselves under the guidance of a few veterans who know they'll get moved on, that sort of thing. But I also want to see draft picks waiting for us in the future.
We need them now, yes, and I want to see them get some more if they can now. They can come in 2027, 2028, or beyond; I don't particularly care. The ones in the next few years are getting used by the team, ideally on picks, rarely in trade. I don't want to see them bundle later selections so they can move up a few spots, I really don't. Certainly not in this draft, where even the top five prospects are all over the place on scouting lists, never mind the top fifty.
My priority here and anywhere else I've written about the Canucks has been trying to understand management's decisions. No one does things that don't make sense to them, so why did they trade for Erik Gudbranson? Why did they choose J.T. Miller instead of Bo Horvat? Why did they give Bruce Boudreau an option year, shocking the general manager they wanted to hire?
Understanding their decisions is harder with some moves than with others, but they always make sense to the person who does them. What I want from the team is to see understandable moves. I don't want to work hard at this anymore. I'm inherently lazy. I want it to be not only easy to follow along, but I also want to smile while doing it. Something long-term, outlasting Johnson's and Malhotra's contracts, but earning them renewals. The playoffs can frikkin' wait.
Beyond anything else, I want to see a plan. And I want to see it take shape with this draft, right now.
Let's go!
*I hesitate to call anyone who makes it to the NHL a bad player. Go watch John Scott skate with university players, and you'll see what I mean.
A resolution to the biggest question for the Vancouver Canucks' future might not be a big deal after all.
Lemme explain.
On straight talent, Elias Pettersson is the most skilled skater the Canucks have. With Quinn Hughes gone, it's a one-person list. The good news is that he's signed for the next six seasons. The bad news is the previous two seasons.
Two years with just 15 goals in each is atrocious, given who he is supposed to be. He scored 27 in his rookie and sophomore seasons, just by comparison, and those are his third and fourth least productive years. Even Pettersson's much-vaunted defensive game slipped, with his even-strength Corsi dropping below 50% in 2024-25. It plummeted to 46.8% last year, but whose didn't?*
It's been a precipitous drop from the century-mark high of 2022-23. Successful as it was for him, the year felt...odd. The new management had decided to go with J.T. Miller instead of longtime captain Bo Horvat, signing him to a 7 x $8 million extension before the season began. They left Horvat dangling for months before finally trading him away at the end of January. Management announced that coach Bruce Boudreau was a lame duck before the season began, but waited 48 games to fire him, a week before the Horvat trade.
Obviously, a huge "changing of the guard" happened. Rick Tocchet came in, Hughes was named captain for the 2023-24 season, and Pettersson was going into his RFA year. Now, he said in the off-season that he wanted to wait until the season was over before negotiating a new deal. Management seemed to agree. But both management and Pettersson were asked about a potential deal repeatedly throughout the year. That made sense, as the team had obviously improved, and it was going to be the most expensive deal in Canucks history, whenever it happened.
It was still a flat cap world then, and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin wanted to know what they could spend in the coming years. Getting Pettersson's deal done was vital. Meetings carried on between the White Collars and his agent from July 1st in 2023 right until the end of February, a week before the trade deadline. But a month before the deal was done, things got really interesting.
Just after the All-Star break, rumours leaked out of a potential trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Then of possible short-term contracts instead of an eight-year one. In public, Rutherford and Allvin said how much they wanted Pettersson to stay. Pettersson, for his part, continued to say he wanted to wait until the season was over before he talked contract.
On the ice, clearly, Miller was feeling the pressure of being The Guy early. Regular outbursts, breaking his sticks, and taking bad penalties had him riding pine early in the year. But Tocchet still heaped praise on him, calling him an "emotional leader" for the team.
We know early in the 2024-25 season, Miller and Pettersson had a confrontation at practice. Word got around that the coaching staff - with the approval of management - encouraged players to "toughen up" Pettersson. It's unlikely that it started in the 2024 training camp, but well before then, and we don't know what was said in the dressing room. But we do know there were factions, with Horvat on one side and Miller on the other. Given how each player approaches the game, that's hardly surprising. We also know how much Tocchet loves Miller and who he would back if there were a divide on the team.
It's not hard to add Pettersson's reluctance to sign, the pressure to do so from management, and his treatment at work together.
Gonna talk about myself a little. Skip this bit if you want.
When I was very young - ten-ish - I was a pretty good student. School was fun, and I liked the challenges there and all the new things to discover. Not the best student in the world, but pretty good. Went into Grade Five and had a seat at the front of the class. (Don't worry, this will be over soon.) Teacher assigned some "circle the answer" homework on the first day, and I forgot to do it. Next day, he asked where it was, and I said it wasn't done.
He threw my desk across the room. Leaned into my face and bellowed for me to get out of his class.
So I was crying outside his classroom - two other kids joined me there - when he came out and chuckled at me. "What are you crying for?" He explained that he wasn't going to hurt me, obviously. He just needed to make an example of someone at the start of the year. Now I should go on back to my desk, and we'll carry on with the day. Well, with an explanation like that, what would your average ten-year-old do?
I moved myself to the back of the class and never did homework for him. Always tried to get the work done during the school day, however much was assigned. If I didn't get some done, too bad, it didn't get done. Studied and did great on tests, which helped average out my grades enough to pass. Then I got him again for Grade Six, so that sucked.
What I DIDN'T do was become a better student, because fuck him. I didn't respect him, and he didn't deserve it. I also didn't tell any other students or teachers, or my increasingly frustrated parents, because I was raised to handle stuff by myself. A terrible, self-sabotaging decision, but whaddya want? I was ten.
You can probably see where I'm going with this.
Late in January of 2024, Tocchet gave a rare public rebuke for Pettersson's play. It was deserved for the game, an overtime loss to St. Louis, where he was held pointless. But Tocchet also said he hadn't liked Pettersson's play "for the last three or four games." "We gotta get him going," and "we'll get him going" sound slightly ominous in retrospect. In the next game, the last in January, he scored two goals and three points. After that, well, it changed.
For that one month, Pettersson scored 14 goals and 21 points in 13 games. For the rest of the year, he scored seven goals and 25 points in 33 games. He pulled a few three-point games, but a lot more zero-point ones were showing up. That the best stretch of games he's played since that January was the fifteen points in ten games when Miller took a personal leave in 2024-25 doesn't seem like a coincidence.
Speaking of which, that 2024-25 season was a disastrous, turmoil-filled year for a team that somehow held on to respectability, finishing out of the playoffs with 90 points. But it was pretty clear they were going nowhere fast.
For 2025-26, Tocchet declined a return. Management took a couple high-risk swings at Filip Chytil and Evander Kane. They hoped some stability would emerge by keeping Adam Foote behind the bench. The injury gods were not kind, resulting in Linus Karlsson being the team's second-highest scoring centre. Great for him, but not so great for the team. Hughes was traded, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Petersson's form was slowly returning. In his first 28 games of the year, he scored a reasonably solid eight goals and 22 points. Then, not only was he injured, but his wife of six months suffered a miscarriage. After that terrible personal loss, a team reduced to one and a half centres, and a comically condensed schedule, this season hasn't been the best gauge of his abilities. He managed just 12 points in his first 21 games back after the Christmas break, then another 12 in the 16 after the Olympic break, then just five points in April's nine games to finish the year.
Here's the crux: if you want to trade Elias Pettersson the Forward, then this is possibly the worst possible year to do so.
His offensive numbers are rock-bottom; he's got another six years to go and a No Move Clause for all of it; and he's getting paid less money this season than he did the last or will the next. With the team expecting to lose some casual fans during the rebuild, paying $3.5 million less for one player sounds great!
There is simply no way to recoup the level of talent he has in a trade because no one knows if he can get back to that level again. You're not trading a 100-point player; you're trading a former 100-point player. And in this, of all years, there certainly isn't a free agent worth pursuing to fill the gap.
Can Pettersson come back to what he was? My opinion hasn't changed since last season's preview: I think at his best, he'll be close to a point-per-game, very good defensive centre. But before he gets to being his best, there's a very important question to ask: Does he respect who he's playing for?
*Of the players who played more than 45 games? Linus Karlsson's. That's it.
Of the many, many pressing demands on general manager Ryan Johnson's time, one stands out: what to do with all these veterans.
The Plan, as we all know, was to play well enough that the best defenceman in team history would stick around. Keep his friends here, hire the coach he liked, take wild swings at improbable targets. Ends up that wasn't the best possible tactic for sustainable improvement. Who knew?
He's long gone, of course. But what's left behind are some awkward contracts, both in length and offered trade protection. The push is clearly to continue collecting young talent, either as players or draft picks, and use that to build a contender. Those players are going to need time, on the ice and just chronologically, for this to happen.
That means folks have got to go.
An optimistic timeline for a full rebuild of the sort Vancouver needs can be broken into chunks. Both Johnson and new coach Manny Malhotra have signed three-year deals, and that's a decent length for a first chapter.
What's the goal for that time frame? It's not challenging for a Stanley Cup, obviously. So what fits in there? At least three years of high draft picks - and corresponding pain on the ice - is a minimum. The cap is rising substantially for the first time in years, so teams won't feel that crunch of talent getting more expensive and forcing their hands. Bad deals become relatively more affordable and excuses to keep players get easier.
In the next three years, the Canucks should be trying to get good prices on their veterans, ice time for their kids, and instilling pride of the work put in - even if results aren't there just yet. Ideally, the kids will take this time to develop enough that they replace the current veterans.
The trick is wanting Zeev Buium to grow into a number one defenceman and Marco Rossi to have a healthy, productive season while not contributing so much it ruins the draft slot. They want to work hard at getting a bottom-five finish. Signing the right veterans to do that with is a juggling act.
Getting paid to take bad contracts is a bit trickier now. For all the talk of taking Brendan Gallagher from the Montreal Canadiens, there may actually be some demand for his services. He's well respected around the league, but in a practical sense, he's the sort of player who is a luxury. A $6.5 million cap hit for a bottom-six, 30-ish point player is a lot, however hard he works.
If Vancouver did get him, or a player like him, the objective would be for a contender to pick him up for a playoff run, where that luxury can get full value. Then again, the complete lack of interest in Teddy Blueger at last season's deadline shows that the tactic doesn't always work. So that sort of veteran player needs to provide something else.
The best part of a veteran like Gallagher or Blueger is to provide a benchmark. Any young player coming up can be shown the veteran in practice and get told: "Want to play? Outwork him." And almost any veteran can briefly play up the lineup if needed, with little pressure to score. That versatility can be very useful when one of the young guys needs to take a step back, but should still be on the ice.
It's an important lesson. To have veterans is to maintain an even keel in a losing season. Young teams can run hot or cold, and having voices around that have been there before can temper the expectations. No losing streak lasts forever; it just feels like it. Encouragement from the coaching staff is good then, but so is it coming from the teammate who's got ten+ years in the league.
Right now, it's a two-way street. No player wants to move, even if they want a better situation. Can't blame them, really: moving's a pain. Five of Vancouver's most expensive skaters and both goalies have full no-move clauses right now. That puts a lot of the power in their hands, should the team want to deal them. And Drew O'Connor has a modified no-trade clause.
However, both Conor Garland and Tyler Myers have trade protection, and they weren't impossible to move. And all of these deals were signed under very different circumstances (see Win For Quinn, above). They might not be hard to convince that the grass is greener on the other side of the mountains.
The most obvious name is Jake DeBrusk. His cap hit is a perfectly reasonable number for a 25-goal scorer you pull your hair out over. We know he wants to stay in the West, but he also doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding team. Utah wants to reach the playoffs ASAP, maybe a deal can be reached involving RFA centre Barrett Hayton. He had a solid season in 2024-25, but regressed last year. Maybe the team can be convinced to finally cut bait on him. He's 26 years old, so not exactly the young guy the Canucks want, but getting some centre depth behind perpetually-injured Filip Chyil wouldn't hurt.
Beyond that, Vancouver needs to make some decisions. Filip Hronek is the best way the team can get the classic 3-P return: a first-round draft pick, a current player, and a good prospect. But Hronek also has value as a mentor, and that carries weight. He's expressly said he doesn't want to go anywhere, which is great. But it's a double-edged blade: he's an excellent player in a high-value position, so any return will be very good. But the Canucks defence is going to be so dang young around him that his voice can be a huge difference for them as they mature. He will also likely be worth just as much a year from now or the 2028 trade deadline - unless he gets injured. What does management consider the riskiest move?
Whether the team wants to move Hronek immediately or not, they could certainly ask Marcus Pettersson the DeBrusk question: Is this what you signed on for? Another five years at $5.5 million is a steep price for a rebuilding team, but maybe not one that's a playoff regular looking for more.
Drew O'Connor had a phenomenal year, and Linus Karlsson finally broke into the league in a big way, but those two players' values might never be higher. They may bring in disproportionately large returns right now for teams that are looking to get some skill in the bottom ranks. And as much as I like Nils Höglander, if another team makes an offer, well...
I'm mentioning the price with each of these players because the Canucks ownership needs to be convinced to hold the line when things get a bit sparse. Interest IS going to go down with a losing team, future potential or no. Convincing them that the former cap masters can cruise very comfortably below that level can help gird their loins after two years of declining jersey sales. This doesn't mean they should yard sale the place, but picking and choosing who stays and who goes is a big deal.
Saving money on a higher cap hit than cash pay - like with Gallagher - can still appeal. It's better if they have some talent and want to be here, but beggars and choosers and all. Vancouver currently sits nearly $22 million below the salary cap with 21 players signed, about $5 million above the floor. The team has room to maneuver, if they wish. They'll probably have to carry three goaltenders, for all practical purposes, until Thatcher Demko shows he can play a year uninjured.
Bringing in a couple of guys of the type who can probably move at the deadline is the best choice, but they also need to make sure they have enough room for their kids to earn their place. And if the veterans get bumped, will that depress their value for future trades? It's a fine line, but also a selling point to potential free agents come mid-July. Come to Vancouver! Get a chance to play for a contract with someone else!
Fans of the team, rather than the players, should like what they see next year, even if it isn't often wins. Who knows? The prices may even come down enough to see the young guys live before they threaten glory.
I'm not all that interested in the physical results of the NHL draft combine. Sure, kids that age are going to grow a little bit between the end of their seasons and June 5th, but not THAT much. It's fun to compare, and maybe catch a name you aren't already familiar with, but otherwise? There might be the occasional story ("Sam Bennett couldn't do a single pull-up!"), but there's rarely any actual news.
I'm a little annoyed that Oscar Hemming has rocketed up the draft rankings when I was hoping the Canucks could grab him in the second round. I'm a little more annoyed that my favourite at three, Keaton Verhoff, is getting disrespected lately on those same lists. But again, I don't put a lot of stock in the NHL combine. Though did you hear that Vancouver was the only team Gavin McKenna had a dinner date with...? And Alexander Command is looking pretty great, huh? It would be so cool if they could land Mathis Preston!
Anyway.
It was interesting reading Thomas Drance's report, though. He talked to the potential picks who interviewed with the Canucks to see how they felt it went. I hadn't considered Jaxon Cover's history, but it is intriguing. Shades of Ed Jovanovski, joining organized hockey very late but being something of a prodigy. If he's good enough to be a potential first-round pick after just five years of league hockey, how good will he be with a few more under his belt?
More than that, though, was the universal description of the interview process. Not everyone they talked to has a chance of being anywhere the team will be picking - dreaming of Ryan Lin at 24, here - but there's always the chance of movement. I don't think they should bundle picks to move up, but there are other ways to change the order. They might drop down, or move veterans to build their prospect arsenal. In the teens is generally where you find teams wanting to improve sooner rather than later, so maybe an opportunity is there.
It's probably a better idea to see if they can bulk up their 2027 draft selections, if they manage to get another first-rounder. By all reports, it's going to be a very good year, but also not having all the best options being the exact same age wouldn't hurt. Players that reach the NHL can stay there a while; where they need room is breaking in. The fans have indicated they'll give the team time, no need to rush anyone.
But back to the interesting bit about the Canucks at the combine. Of the nine players Drance highlighted, all of them had some variant on the theme of chill. They were calm, easygoing interviews. You'll hear the players and teams give generic "Yeah, it was great" answers, so that isn't a surprise. The addition of "calm" or "relaxed" or "fun" to the descriptors was good to see.
It looks like AGMs Cammi Granato and Émilie Castonguay took the lead when GM Ryan Johnson flew back to Vancouver for the Manny Malhotra presser. By the sounds of it, and by the general feel around the week, the pressure is way down. They aren't asking these players if they think they can make the team this season. That's good. The fewer illusions management is carrying around with them, the better.
Picture getting interviewed by the manager of Forever 21, and they're talking about the company's bright future. That probably wouldn't impress you much, would it? We expect players to be head down and working hard at improving their game, but they're going to know what last year's standings were. Vancouver's lousy results might get them a few free agent signings, implying there is plenty of spots open. But no one wants to work for the delusional.
Speaking of which:
Allow me to add a personal note that AI continues to suck. How the hell does this thing pronounce "eyes"? Or "nicks" for that matter? Yeesh.
(It's NYZE. Lunatic frikkin' machine.)
Well, the inevitable happened: the Vancouver Canucks made a major announcement at an awkward time for media and fans. A bit surprising it wasn't another "Friday night after five" call, but the middle of Monday is bad enough. Don't tell me that's when you're at YOUR best, bucko.
The 2011 Reunion Tour continued apace, with the expected hiring of Manny Malhotra to work the Canucks bench. This comes a year after he was one of two finalists to take over for Rick Tocchet, losing the job to Adam Foote. That they've come back to Malhotra now tells you how well that went.
Malhotra joins Canucks alumni GM Ryan Johnson, Presidents of Hockey Operations Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, and player development coach Mikael Samuelsson. Former Canucks defenceman Alexander Edler has been asked to join the team in player development at this year's training camp, so will likely be working with/for Samuelsson.
For an added kick, the team needs a new coaching staff for Abbotsford with Malhotra's promotion. Alexandre Burrows just happens to be quite well thought of as a future head coach. He worked the bench as an assistant with Laval and Montreal, recently moving into player development. Know a team that might be interested in player development? And in former 2011 Canucks Alums?
At a glance, it looks like a mediocre Happy Gilmore-produced Netflix special, where Adam Sandler has hires his buddies to vacation somewhere and they'll work out the plot as they go. Fortunately, the new management has more than a paycheque as motivation. They also have anger.
While Malhotra didn't leave the team on good terms, he came back because he wanted to. His eye injury left the Canucks with a hard decision to make, and then-GM Mike Gillis put him on injured reserve a month into his final contract year in 2012-13. Malhotra continued his playing career through sheer force of will before finally retiring in 2016. The Canucks hired him as a development coach almost immediately upon his announcement.
He's worked his way up the coaching ranks since then, being an assistant coach with Vancouver and Toronto before succeeding Jeremy Colliton as head coach in Abbotsford. We all know what happened then, winning the Calder Cup in his first year coaching the AHL team. And now, here he is as the big club's bench boss.
So when we say the new management is angry, we don't mean at the team itself. For the past decade, Johnson, Malhotra, and the Sedins have watched their former team fail, repeatedly and spectacularly. They've stumbled from panic to crisis to tire fire, with apparently little care for what made the team worth cheering for. PR disasters, personnel disasters, and management disasters bounced off each other like diseases in a hot tub.
They weren't pleased with what they saw. It was, frankly, embarrassing. And they decided to do something about it. The Sedins volunteered to return to the club in a typically low-key way. And now that they're in charge, they're bringing in others who not only remember the team they played for, but want to get that feeling back.
There is no one here who will brook fools lightly. Malhotra dragged his career back because he wasn't finished with it yet. Johnson played through 15 pro seasons and a ludicrous number of injuries, and despite peaking at 21 points in a full season, he kept finding work for a reason. And as for the Sedins, well, anyone who wants to pretend they were ever "soft" can keep thinking that right up until they break the 1300 NHL game mark.
So here's the thing: the team they're managing isn't looking to make the playoffs next year. That, paradoxically enough, means they don't need to tolerate someone who is disruptive, however they choose to interpret it.
Highest scorer on the team? Big deal! You didn't hurry back to the bench, so you're missing a couple shifts. Being a dick to teammates? Take the next game off, you won't be missed. Don't want to be part of the community service the team does? Maybe this isn't the place for you.
But they can also be more patient with players who are working hard, but don't have the experience to go with it yet. A defender who's missed his check might get a reminder, but shouldn't miss a shift if it's not a regular thing. A kid taking a bad penalty because he got emotional, well, it sucks, but that happens.
There's a saying that the NHL isn't a development league, and that's mostly true. Players shouldn't be in it without a basic toolkit they can fill elsewhere. But the Canucks are also starting from the bottom up. They can afford to be patient with young guys learning the league, especially when the entire team is pretty dang young.
Malhotra has coached a team that was frequently stripped for parts last year. A constant influx of new players rotating in only to have them bumped out of place by returning vets is a juggling act. Trying to find a place for prospects while encouraging veterans just added to the puzzle. One message he and Johnson gave their players was this: our job is to get you out of here.
That goal going to be different now, with longer-term players and no help coming from the parent club. You won't find guys who are "too good for the league" joining the team for a injury rehab. This is as good as it gets.
But the method is the same: it's guessing who has another gear and how to find it. Using the parts provided in the place they're most appropriate. Convincing someone who's always played one way that they'll last longer playing another. It's going to take patience, honesty, and clarity of vision at every level, from White Collars and Blue ones alike.
So, sure, the NHL isn't a development league. But for the next couple seasons, the Canucks - and Manny - are probably best served by pretending it is.
[Editing note: There HAS to be a better way to say that. Think of one later.]
Still no sign of Manny Malhotra reaching an agreement to coach the Vancouver Canucks, but Elliotte Friedman isn't worried. So, for now, we won't be either. There's a lot of other stuff to do before Draft Day, so it's not like the Sedins of Johnson are bored. I'll be generous and guess that the holdup is about who else Manny will be bringing onto his staff.
We're going to run down the folks on the ice - even if it was just part-time - and have a quick look-see at the free agents here. Some sort of decision needs to be made on them before the 2026-27 season starts, and we thought we'd help. By definition, these aren't in-depth looks, here. We have almost a month to go before the first deadline (trading for this year's picks), so expect a bit of filler between now and then, yeah? Let's go.
Trying to categorize free agents is always a bit odd. Different players have different applications, so blanket terms rarely apply comfortably. Fortunately, the NHL has done that for us, and it's too warm to take anything but the laziest of options.
I don't really expect Vancouver's unrestricted free agents to return. Curtis Douglas is a Group 6* free agent, and the players are pushing for him to get re-signed. He was an instant fan favourite as fighters tend to be, and Canucks fans are going to have little to cheer this season. He probably has the best odds of a new deal of any UFA NHL player from last season.
Guillaume Brisebois may get another one-year deal, but given his miserable luck with this squad, maybe he'll feel a little snakebit. Wouldn't blame him for looking elsewhere by now.
Outside of those two, it's tough to see where the advantage lies with either the team or the player trying again. Jiří Patera, far from re-establishing his prospect potential, has cemented himself as a capable AHL netminder. Vancouver's already got a log jam in goal at every level, and they'll need to decide what to do with Aleksei Medvedev soon.
Joseph Labate has provided some shelter for the prospects coming up through Abbotsford, which is great, but he's not someone who can keep up an NHL pace. Nice story for a draft pick coming home, but he's found his ceiling.
Defenceman Derek Forbort - remember him? - played two games for Vancouver before injuries kept him out for the year. Thanks for the effort, but we filled that spot. Evender Kane was tired and bored on the ice, whatever his behaviour off it was like. The universal embarrassment of his hitting 1,000 NHL games in a Canucks jersey says it all.
Teddy Blueger, as much as he's said he wants to return, probably can't find a proper fit in Vancouver. He earned his two-year, $1.8-million-per contract and was good value for it. But it's now a very different team with a very different goal. They need the space for younger players to fill in low in the lineup, and he's just not a top-six guy.
There's only one restricted free agent at the NHL level, and that's spare defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. If Victor Mancini sticks around, I expect he'll take that role instead. Neither Jack Thompson nor Cole Clayton seems destined for a breakthrough, but they can both play on the right side. Having a few who can be called up in an emergency won't hurt the contract limit, but the NHL team probably hopes never to need them.
Moving to forward, there are some curious cases here. Chase Stillman is a very interesting guy, willing to engage with whoever is in his way. He's a "drag your team into the fight" type. He'll never be a scorer, but if your team needs a bulldog, he brings it.
Jaden Grubbe is almost the opposite of Stillman, thinking the game through and looking where he can make the most impact in the next five seconds. He looks to kill opponents' plays as much as make his own.
A great story for a sixth-round pick, Nils Åman is probably at the end of the line with Vancouver. He was a great free agent pickup, but he's also gone from 68 games with the Canucks in 2022-23 to 43 games to 19 to 2 last year.
As for Danila Klimovich, what can you say? He's fun to watch, as long as you don't care who scores next. After five seasons in the AHL, it's hard to see much in the way of progress. He still has his NHL-level shot, but that's not enough. Maybe another team thinks they can bring him out and believe in him enough to make an offer. But walking away is also an option.
*Group 6 free agent: over 24 years old; three or more years in a professional league with an NHL contract; fewer than 80 NHL games as a skater, fewer than 28 games over 30 minutes for goalies.
