The Vancouver Canucks and their fans would probably like to forget the 2024-25 season. After winning the Pacific Division and getting within one win of the Western Conference Final in 2023-24, they fell hard from their penthouse and finished seven points out of the playoffs. Not only that, but they had to endure a campaign full of drama, centred around two of their biggest stars, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, that ultimately led to the latter being shipped out of town to the New York Rangers. They also had their fair share of injuries, from their top two defenders, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, missing 14 and 21 games, respectively, to their starting goaltender, Thatcher Demko, who only suited up for 23 games.
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The good thing is, every new season brings a clean slate and a chance to erase the dirt of the past. So with that, let’s look at five burning questions as we continue to count the days until the Calgary Flames come to town on Oct. 9 for the home/season opener.
It seems like forever ago that Pettersson recorded 102 points and was on track to become the first Swede to record back-to-back 100-point seasons. He is now being paid handsomely for those seasons, but has yet to live up to the $11.6 million average annual value (AAV) that is beside his name on PuckPedia right now. In his first year under that new number, he recorded a career-low 45 points, 21 points fewer than his previous low in his rookie and sophomore campaigns in 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. As mentioned, he was also part of the locker room drama with Miller, which became a distraction on and off the ice – even though they denied it at the time.
Now, Miller is no longer in the picture, and Pettersson has a no-movement clause that should keep him out of trade rumours. He can focus solely on his performance on the ice and bouncing back to the form that saw him hit that century mark in 2023-24. The Canucks need that Pettersson this season, the top-line two-way dynamo that could dance his way through opponents and blast his heavy one-timer past goaltenders on the power play. The forward that fans dubbed “Dekey Pete” and the late Jason Botchford exclaimed, “Petey, do your dekes.”
All indications are that Pettersson is taking his offseason training very seriously and wants to become that forward again. Hopefully, he can, because if he continues to be a shell of that player this season, the Canucks won’t just be looking for a second-line centre, but a top-line centre as well – and paying $11.6 million for a guy to put up third-line centre numbers. Not exactly ideal for a team with playoff aspirations.
Will the Canucks Acquire a Second-Line Centre?
Speaking of a second-line centre, that search continues as we enter August. The Canucks have reportedly looked at both the trade and free-agent market, and have struck out in both. Marco Rossi, Mason McTavish, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Roslovic have all been thrown out as options, but as of right now, all of them are still property of their respective teams. Rossi and Roslovic have been directly connected to the Canucks, but it appears Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin wants too much for his young centre, and Roslovic hasn’t gotten the offer he wants yet. As for Kotkaniemi and McTavish, Kotkaniemi has been speculated as a target as recently as July 31, when Jeff Marek brought up his name during a segment on Sekeras and Price, and McTavish, while the most ideal option, would probably cost too much to acquire.
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Looking at all those names, Rossi and McTavish are obviously the players that fit the “legitimate second-line centre” description. They are also young and could fit into the long-term plans of the club rather than a stopgap until Braeden Cootes is ready to take over as the Bo Horvat of the next generation. Unfortunately, the Canucks would have to be willing to trade a blue-chip prospect like Tom Willander, Jonathan Lekkerimaki or, at the very least, an emerging talent like defenceman Elias Pettersson to get one of them on the team. As of now, I think the Canucks will go into the season with Filip Chytil as the second-line centre and hope for the best. But as we all know, one phone call can change everything.
How Will Evander Kane Impact the Lineup?
The only major addition the Canucks have made so far this offseason has been Vancouver native Evander Kane. He is coming off a season where he only played in the playoffs, missing the entire regular season with various injuries that required surgery and extensive rehab. He had a solid showing in the Edmonton Oilers’ run to their second straight Stanley Cup Final, but some fans argue he wasn’t his usual impactful self. He did have six goals and 12 points in 21 games, but was often in the penalty box, posting 44 penalty minutes – 12 of which were minors. With the Oilers struggling on the penalty kill, that lack of discipline made Kane more of a liability than an asset.
If Kane can limit his time in the penalty box, he will be a big part of the Canucks’ attack this season. His package of toughness, grit and goalscoring is something they haven’t had in a long time, probably going back to the days when Todd Bertuzzi was terrorizing the league. But, there is a caveat: at 34 years old and coming off major surgeries, can he be that player consistently anymore? If he can, that’s a game-changer, especially for Pettersson, who he will probably line up with to start the season. Pettersson has not had that type of player on his wing before. Maybe Kane can do what Bertuzzi did for Markus Naslund. He created so much room for the former Canucks captain, not only because the opposition had to worry about him, but they knew if they pushed Naslund around, they had to answer to Bertuzzi. Can he be that for Pettersson this season? Only time will tell.
Will Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander Be on the Opening Night Roster?
The Canucks will have two blue-chip prospects fighting to make the roster in training camp: Tom Willander and Jonathan Lekkerimaki. However, there is a world where both of them start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL), which isn’t a bad thing. Willander will have to beat out Elias Pettersson, Victor Mancini and veteran Pierre-Olivier Joseph, all of whom have more NHL experience, while Lekkerimaki, given his offensive skillset, is better off playing in the top-six, which is pretty loaded with the addition of Kane and the return of Brock Boeser.
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Willander had a solid stint in the NCAA with Boston University, putting up six goals and 49 points in 77 games, along with standout performances at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships. He was one of Boston and Team Sweden’s top defenders, consistently logging over 24 minutes a night in all situations. He appears to be ready to take on the NHL, but the Canucks are going to have to decide whether he should play in Abbotsford and get top-four minutes or in Vancouver, where he will likely only get 10–15 minutes on the bottom pairing.
As for Lekkerimaki, he got his feet wet in the NHL last season and was only one game away from being ineligible for the Calder Trophy this season. All in all, he had a solid rookie campaign between the NHL and AHL, scoring three goals and six points in the former and 19 goals and 28 points in the latter. He also played 16 games in Abbotsford’s run to the Calder Cup and scored three goals and seven points, despite being a healthy scratch for a stretch in the Western Conference Final. He has shown flashes of his potential in the NHL, but hasn’t found the same room to unleash his lethal wrist shot and one-timer as he did in the AHL and Swedish Hockey League (SHL). With Boeser and Kane in the fold, the Canucks don’t have to rush his development, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start in Abbotsford and be a primary call-up rather than a regular this season.
Are the Canucks a Playoff Team?
Finally, we have the ultimate burning question heading into 2025-26: Will the Canucks make the playoffs? They were seven points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot last season, but were riddled with injuries to their top players and had to deal with locker room drama for almost the entire time. This season, they (hopefully) won’t have to deal with any of that and can get back to the team that surprised everyone in 2023-24 and won the Pacific Division. They will have a few new voices behind the bench in Scott Young, Brett McLean and Kevin Dean, along with a familiar one in head coach Adam Foote, but it will be up to the players to lead the charge. Unless a big trade to land a second-line centre happens, management is trusting that the existing forward and defence corps can bounce back and return them to the playoffs.
The Canucks will have their work cut out for them to enter the top three in the Pacific Division, with the Vegas Golden Knights getting stronger with the addition of Mitch Marner and the Edmonton Oilers coming off back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. They might be able to usurp the Los Angeles Kings, but the Calgary Flames should be right there as well, battling for that third spot. The wild card race doesn’t get any easier, either, with the Central Division always boasting at least three 100-plus point teams.
It will be a tough battle all the way to the end, but if a lot of things go right, the Canucks could find themselves in a playoff spot at the end of the season. Their defence and goaltending alone might be enough to do it, but Pettersson’s return to form is the biggest X factor. While he alone won’t lead this team back to the playoffs, a 100-point Pettersson could start a positive snowball effect that runs through the entire lineup.
Whatever happens, this season should be another interesting one to follow. It all gets started in 67 days when the Canucks take on the Flames at Rogers Arena on Oct. 9.
