The Vancouver Canucks are just around 20% of the way through their 2025-26 campaign. The good news is that they generally look happier than last season — a shockingly low bar to hurdle — and they have been fairly even in their play thus far. There hasn’t been a notable decline that can’t be understandably justified by the many, many injuries.

Now, the bad news is that there hasn’t been any identifiable improvement in their game either. The Canucks are remarkably consistent at being inconsistent, but that is not a new or groundbreaking revelation. This season, they have been there, in the background, sometimes grating, and occasionally enjoyable – the shopping mall holiday music of hockey. Someone get Michael Bublé on the line.

Most of the underlying numbers and heat maps reflect that the Canucks should be scoring more than they are and, generally, winning more than they are. But you don’t need a complex statistical model to see that — you just need eyes. Uncharacteristic defensive collapses have been their Achilles heel, and it is what killed their game against the Chicago Blackhawks this week. They fared a little better against the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Colorado Avalanche. Still, two of those games that went to overtime were decided with just a one-goal margin.

It is concerning that the Predators took the Canucks to overtime, but on the other hand, the Canucks taking the Avalanche – a team absolutely dominating the league and coming off a blowout 9-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers – to overtime is a statement, even if they only took home a consolation point. The team now sits at an 8-8-1 record, putting the “mid” in “middle-of-the-road.”

Thin goal margins, overtime loss points, and spread-out wins are not enough to keep the team afloat, but like everything, you have to take it with a grain of salt. From injury updates to team performance to vibes, there is never certainty around this team. Good or bad, Canucks hockey is never dull – take that as a blessing or a curse.

For a team that’s been struggling to finish as of late – or, realistically, for longer than that – the return of Brock Boeser’s scoring touch couldn’t come at a better time.

It’s no secret that Boeser always puts up a performance to rival the Grand Ole Opry when he’s in Nashville, and this week was no different. He had a three-point game, but most importantly, he scored the OT winner a mere two seconds before overtime expired.

This goal also has a great, nifty setup from Elias Pettersson. Their reaction sums it up pretty well. Hey, remember when there was joy surrounding this team?

On Saturday night, the team was finally back home on Rogers Arena ice to take on the Blue Jackets during their Hockey Fights Cancer night. Fittingly, Boeser scored the go-ahead goal while the game was tied at 3-3, and Vancouver took the game 4-3. While it might be a testing time to be a Canucks fan, it’s hard not to get behind a moment like this.

The attitude around the team might be tenuous at best right now, but something just feels decidedly different in the best way when Elias Pettersson is setting up Brock Boeser for some really savvy goals, and there are glimpses of established greatness in these players behind the chaos. Despite the year so far, the team just seems – happier, if that’s possible? Save the captain, but I remind you all, Quinn Hughes just has the face of a guy who always has Radiohead playing inside his head, it’s fine, he’s fine.

Okay, hear me out. There was a time not very long ago when Tom Willander was the most anticipated Canucks prospect, and now that he is with the team, this hype feels rather muted. It is a less-than-ideal time to join the team, and I think he’s done a fantastic job under the circumstances. If you watched any of his games when he was at Boston University, you’ll know he is set to be an impactful blue liner.

I have really liked Willander’s game thus far, even while he’s been seeing relatively low ice-time, but not necessarily protected minutes per se. Although there have been some consistent players – Filip Hronek has quietly been a load-bearing player on the blue line this year, and Quinn Hughes has been notably better since his return from injury – he’s brought a breath of life to a defence that has no reason on paper to be struggling the way it is.

He picked up his first two NHL career points this week just by being unafraid to go full-send, as the college kids say, and get the puck into play without the chronic overpassing that has plagued the Canucks.

Look, for a bottom-six player and someone who had a particularly rough start to the year, O’Connor now has seven points through the last six games. He had a near-goal against Chicago this week, but it was called back due to goaltender interference – essentially, the sad trombone noise of hockey calls.

He has been a gritty player who has been getting into greasy areas and has also shown a lot of resilience and contempt for his opponents. Good. The one thing you cannot say about O’Connor recently is that he doesn’t care, and his attitude and hard work have definitely been noted. Here, he takes getting blatantly crosschecked and dogpiled by Columbus off his goal in stride. The DOCtor is in, indeed.

On Saturday night, O’Connor even got First Star honours at Rogers Arena. Not to brag, but I gave him a star first – but I digress. His biggest moment this week came on Sunday night, with an unassisted shorthanded goal against Colorado. He scored the Canucks’ second shorthanded goal of the year, which is impressive, as they sit in a tie for fifth in the league in that regard. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the Canucks’ penalty kill has barely been able to do the penalty kill part of penalty killing as of late, let alone even think of scoring on it.

Vancouver currently has the second-last penalty kill in the entire league, only behind the Ottawa Senators, which is humiliating for all involved. The Canucks even allowed two power-play goals to Colorado, so Sunday night is not some grand exception. It was simply a fantastic moment for a player already experiencing a solid weekend.

Martin Nečas chips the puck off the boards behind the Canucks net to set up a deflection that is not received by any of his teammates. Luckily, Drew O’Connor is a charitable soul, so he’s there to receive that puck, grateful and humble. Both O’Connor and Kiefer Sherwood skate like the ice owes them money into the Colorado zone, ready to make a play, but it’s unnecessary. O’Connor beats Colorado’s backcheckers, beats Mackenzie Blackwood, and nets the goal.

I did not have Drew O’Connor embarrassing the Colorado Avalanche and making it look easy on my bingo card for this week, but before recently, I don’t think O’Connor was ever even a blip on my bingo card radar for anything at all – good or bad. I suppose we simply have to keep expecting the unexpected with the Canucks.