The Vancouver Canucks have been officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention for the second consecutive season.
Vancouver fell out of contention on Sunday after results elsewhere went against them, leaving the Canucks 25 points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the Western Conference with 13 games to play. It is the fifth time in six seasons that Vancouver has missed the playoffs.
Here is a look at what went wrong and what gives the organization reason for hope going forward.
What Went Wrong
Scoring was the biggest problem. The Canucks averaged just 2.52 goals per game, second lowest in the league, and own the worst goal differential in hockey at minus-78. Elias Pettersson leads the team with 41 points in 61 games, but that is a far cry from the 102-point season he had in 2022-23. The 27-year-old is in the second year of an eight-year, $92.8 million deal and has not delivered on the expectations that came with it. Brock Boeser also struggled with 36 points in 62 games after a career-best 73-point campaign in 2023-24. He signed a seven-year, $50.75 million contract last summer.
The Quinn Hughes trade also changed the direction of the season. With Hughes unlikely to re-sign when his contract expires after next season, Vancouver dealt the star defenseman to the Minnesota Wild on December 12 for forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick. The Canucks were 11-17-3 with Hughes and went 10-23-5 after the trade. Vancouver also moved Kiefer Sherwood, Conor Garland and Tyler Myers at the deadline for additional picks and prospects.
Goaltending was a third major issue. Starter Thatcher Demko was shut down on January 27 for hip surgery after appearing in just 20 games. Backup Kevin Lankinen has gone 8-23-5 in 36 starts with a 3.62 goals-against average. Vancouver has surrendered the most goals in the league this season with 255.
Reasons for Optimism
The return from Minnesota gives Vancouver a promising group of young players to build around. Buium, a 2024 first-round pick, is 20 years old and developing into a potential top-four defenseman. Rossi, a former ninth-overall pick, had a 60-point season for the Wild last year and has shown well in 20 games with Vancouver. Ohgren has seven goals in 38 games with the Canucks since arriving in the trade.
Draft capital is also significant. Vancouver has two first-round picks and two second-round picks in the 2026 draft, along with nine selections each in 2027 and 2028. The Canucks are expected to have favorable odds in the draft lottery and could land a franchise-altering prospect.
Demko, when healthy, remains one of the better goalies in the league. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2023-24 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 51 games. He signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal starting next season, and a full healthy campaign from him would give Vancouver a strong foundation as the rebuild takes shape.
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