The Vancouver Canucks enter this offseason shrouded with uncertainty. From the head coach to the first line to the third pair, there are a ton of questions for Canucks management to answer this summer. And some major gaps in the lineup that will need to be creatively and effectively filled.
In working through Vancouver’s myriad summer priorities, let’s go position by position and consider the vacancies, issues and surpluses that the Canucks are working with as we enter a critical offseason for the franchise.
(Note: Pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) are shaded red, pending restricted free agents (RFA) are shaded blue, roster holes are shaded orange.)
The Canucks’ concern at left wing — and with their forward group as a whole — isn’t a shortage of quality NHL options. The issue is that they lack true first-line calibre game-breakers who can effortlessly rack up around a point per game in a season.
Jake DeBrusk is arguably the best winger Vancouver has under contract for next season. He’s a solid complementary top-six forward on a favourable contract, but your team is not a legitimate contender if DeBrusk is the first- or second-best winger. For example, DeBrusk would arguably be the fifth-best winger on the Florida Panthers (behind Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Marchand). This isn’t meant to be a knock on DeBrusk, who excelled in his first season with the Canucks and has 30-goal upside. But it’s a reminder that as much as we focus on the Canucks’ need for a marquee top-six centre, they also have a shortage of elite offensive talent on the wings.
Behind DeBrusk, the Canucks have a trio of intriguing middle-of-the-lineup left-wingers in Dakota Joshua, Drew O’Connor and Nils Höglander. Combined, they will cost $8.75 million against the salary cap next season. That’s a decent sum invested in three players who aren’t proven as full-time top-six wingers. To varying degrees, the Canucks will be hoping for better production from all three of them in 2025-26.
Joshua was understandably limited this season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer. The big, physical winger’s offensive production fell off substantially compared to 2023-24, when he scored 22 goals in 76 games combined between the regular season and playoffs. The Canucks need their depth to be a significant advantage over teams next year because they’re limited in terms of elite, top-of-the-lineup talent. Joshua bouncing back would go a considerable way toward that goal — just a year ago, he was a key part of one of the best third lines in the NHL.
O’Connor’s speed, size and aggressive forechecking provide a distinct identity to an otherwise smaller Canucks forward group. Those qualities alone make him an indispensable part of the club’s bottom-six. Next year, it’d be nice if he could produce closer to a third-line level than the more pedestrian fourth-line rate he managed with the Canucks (nine points in 31 games). After all, his $2.5 million cap hit is a premium price for a bottom-six player.
Höglander could be one of the biggest wild cards in the Canucks’ forward group. At his best, he’s proven that he can drive play in a top-six role and produce even-strength points and goals at an impressive clip. It’d be a major boost if the Canucks get that version of him next season. However, his defensive IQ and habits are clear weaknesses, which have often landed him in the doghouse with multiple Canucks head coaches. We believe in Höglander’s skill set as a top-nine forward, and you could argue that his confidence this year was hindered by how quickly Rick Tocchet banished him to the fourth line in October, but it’s time for the 24-year-old to maintain season-long consistency in his game.
After those established NHLers, the Canucks could benefit from adding a depth left winger, especially since Phil Di Giuseppe is a pending UFA. Max Sasson’s best chance to play NHL games next season could be on the wing, given Aatu Räty’s rise and the anticipated addition of a top-six pivot, which would push Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger further down the lineup. He and Arshdeep Bains are RFAs this summer. Bains can survive playing big league games, but he realistically needs to level his game up to be a more credible depth piece.
To get back to competing, much less contending, over the short-term, the Canucks will need Elias Pettersson to perform like a star-level first-line centre.
Pettersson has hit and sustained an exceptional level for much of his NHL career. It’s been a while, however, since we saw Pettersson dominate. He’s lacked much in the way of his former two-way assertiveness and attacking venom over the past 100 or so games, dating back to the 2024 NHL All-Star break.
Given that Pettersson has seven years remaining on a contract that carries a $11.6 million annual average value, the subject of his no-move clause — set to kick in on July 1 — will be one to monitor this offseason.
The problem with the prospect of moving on from Pettersson, however, is that it would further exacerbate what’s already this club’s biggest area of need on the depth chart: high-end centre depth. Even with Pettersson on the roster, after all, the Canucks are still short a top-six calibre pivot.
The Canucks will aggressively pursue options to upgrade their centre options at the top of the lineup this summer, something Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin made clear in their year-end press conference. It will be essential that the club figure something clever out, given the hole that the J.T. Miller trade has left in Vancouver’s projected lineup.
Chytil’s combination of size and speed was clearly additive to the Vancouver lineup following his acquisition from the New York Rangers in the Miller trade. Chytil, however, who has a lengthy history of working through head injuries, missed the final month of the campaign after sustaining a concussion on a questionable Jason Dickinson hit.
Chytil cleared the concussion protocol prior to the end of the season and has real potential, but his injury history means he also carries an elevated risk profile.
Pius Suter enjoyed a career season and was one of Vancouver’s most consistent performers. The versatile forward, however, is a pending UFA and has surely earned a significant raise on the two-year, $3.2 million deal he signed with the club in August 2023. He’s another among Vancouver’s many question marks down the middle of its forward ranks.
Teddy Blueger is an excellent penalty killer and a reliable veteran capable of helping a good team win games provided that he’s slotted appropriately on the fourth line.
Räty performed really well late in the season, and his precocious faceoff winning ability should give him some floor as a bottom-six forward that’s a safe bet to be an NHL mainstay next season. Whether Räty, who is still only 22, can develop into a higher-calibre contributor will likely hinge on his development as a skater. Räty added a step last summer, and it helped him have a promising season — making the NHL team out of training camp, and being a standout down the stretch is a big step for a 22-year-old player — but if he can add another, then he’ll have a chance to be a real contributor at centre in a middle-six role.
If Brock Boeser were locked up beyond this summer, Vancouver would have decent depth down the right side of its forward group.
Boeser, however, is widely viewed as more likely than not to depart the only NHL team he’s represented in his career in free agency. Should that occur, it will open a major hole for Vancouver on the power play and at the top of the lineup.
Conor Garland played top-line minutes for the Canucks this season and handled the jump in competition and responsibility very well, especially defensively. A hardworking, undersized play driver, Garland will become extension-eligible this summer.
Kiefer Sherwood was a revelation in his first Canucks season, setting an NHL record in hits while pitching in 19 goals and 40 points as a secondary scoring threat. Sherwood’s counter attacking acumen and north-south style seems an excellent match for how the Canucks want to play.
Linus Karlsson was a standout late in the season for Vancouver, and especially stood out with his work below the hashmarks in both zones, and earned himself a one-year extension. He would appear to have an inside track to earn an everyday spot in the lineup next season.
The Canucks took a long look at Jonathan Lekkerimäki, too, and while he occasionally looked like a game breaker, he’ll need to improve his skating speed, strength and defensive awareness before he can be expected to credibly replace a veteran of Boeser’s quality.
Danila Klimovich improved over the course of this season in Abbotsford, but has yet to earn a look at the NHL level and mostly remains a gifted but volatile offensive prospect.
The left side of Vancouver’s blue line profiles as a legitimate strength. Quinn Hughes would have a shot at repeating as the Norris Trophy winner had he not missed games and been hampered playing through injuries.
Marcus Pettersson was a stabilizing force for the Canucks’ second pair and helped the club’s already impressive penalty kill reach another level. He isn’t the most dynamic player, and there were some occasional flaws in his rush defence, but his mobility, IQ and disruptive stick make him an effective top-four defender overall.
Elias Pettersson knocked his NHL audition out of the park and has rocketed up the depth chart. He was heavily sheltered minutes and matchups-wise, so it’s important not to get too carried away about his ceiling until we see him gradually handle heavier assignments. With that said, his strong four-way skating, heavy, physical playing style and composure in executing simple breakouts were really impressive.
The Canucks should explore re-signing Derek Forbort or a comparable veteran depth defender who can kill penalties to an inexpensive contract. That veteran doesn’t necessarily need to be an everyday part of the lineup (you don’t want to block Elias Pettersson’s path to playing games), but it’d be valuable to have a steady veteran — especially one who can handle PK assignments because Hughes doesn’t kill penalties and Elias Pettersson doesn’t have a lot of short-handed NHL experience — as insurance.
Kirill Kudryavtsev is a smooth, promising young player due to his IQ and mobility. The 21-year-old is sub-6-foot, though, and the club has a few young defenders vying for NHL minutes, so there isn’t a straightforward path for him to carve out a consistent opportunity.
Vancouver’s right-side defence is cemented at the top of the depth chart, but there are some fascinating questions to ponder beyond that.
Filip Hronek is the Canucks’ undisputed second-best defenceman. His defensive play down the stretch could have been better, but overall, he had another productive, highly successful season. Hronek’s numbers with Hughes weren’t quite as elite as they were in 2023-24, but his results away from Vancouver’s captain were solid and proved that he isn’t just a Hughes merchant.
Tyler Myers rebounded from a rough October to piece together another solid campaign as a second-pair defenceman. He even had some success on the first pair, riding shotgun with Hughes. Myers will probably stick on the second pair next year, but it’s comforting to know that he can capably complement Hughes if the coaching staff ever wants to have Hronek drive his own pair.
The Canucks have some uncertainty after Hronek and Myers. A few weeks ago, you would have pencilled Tom Willander in as the front-runner to earn a third pair role on the right side for 2025-26. However, Patrik Allvin told media earlier this week that Willander’s current plan is to return to college for another year. There’s still plenty of time before next season starts — Willander could have a change of heart and sign to turn pro — but the current impasse between him and the club on an entry-level contract does throw a potential wrench into those plans.
Victor Mancini displayed impressive skating and size during the 16 games he played with the Canucks. However, the weaknesses in his game (namely his reads/decision-making/IQ) started to show. He’s an interesting project and will almost certainly play some big-league games next year, but he looks a bit too raw to confidently pencil in as an everyday NHL player for next season.
After Mancini, there isn’t much in the way of established depth, with Mark Friedman traded away and Noah Juulsen a pending UFA. Vancouver will probably need to add another body on the right side if Willander returns for a third NCAA season.
For the first time in years, Thatcher Demko isn’t the undisputed No. 1 goalie on the Canucks’ depth chart. He’s undoubtedly the club’s most talented and highest-ceiling goaltender, but after a disappointing, injury-plagued season and with only one year remaining on his contract, he’s a wild card. Demko could return to Vezina-calibre form, and nobody would be surprised. But he could also be derailed by injuries again, and nobody would be shocked at that outcome, either. 2025-26 is a make-or-break season for Demko.
Demko could have been a trade chip this summer, especially given the club’s pedestrian cap flexibility and sizable needs upfront. However, Jim Rutherford’s endorsement of the 29-year-old netminder and the organization’s desire to explore a potential Demko extension this offseason indicate that they still view him as an important piece of the puzzle.
It’s almost pointless debating who should be considered the “No. 1” because if both stay healthy, it’ll probably be close to a 50/50 timeshare workload-wise. On top of that, Demko was highly supportive of Lankinen during end-of-season availabilities and made it clear that he has no issues sharing the crease and co-existing with him moving forward.
After playing 51 games, performing at a solid level and earning a significant five-year contract extension, Kevin Lankinen has to be viewed as the most reliable goaltender in the organization right now. He isn’t going to play at an elite level or steal games the way Demko can, but he gave the club a legitimate chance to win in the vast majority of his starts.
Abbotsford’s goaltending situation for next year looks crowded at the moment. Arturs Šilovs was a major letdown in 2024-25, but he performed well in the minors (.908 save percentage) and is still too young to give up on completely. Nikita Tolopilo played a significant role in Abbotsford and has some intriguing potential, although he is an RFA. Jiri Patera, who has been an established AHL goaltender since 2022-23, was limited to just seven games this year because of injury. He’s still under contract for next season. There are also prospects Ty Young and Aku Koskenvuo. Young pitched a stellar .926 save percentage in the ECHL and played to a respectable .904 save percentage in 11 AHL contests. Koskenvuo, meanwhile, signed a two-year entry-level contract just over a month ago.
The Canucks will have to make some curious decisions to accommodate all their non-NHL goalies for next season.
(Photo of Thatcher Demko and Elias Pettersson: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)