Welcome back to Stars of the Week at CanucksArmy! Every week, we’ll be bringing you our Top Three best and brightest performers on the Vancouver Canucks that week. Disagree with our picks or have your own stars to nominate? Let us know in the comments below!

Welcome to 2026! It’s a new calendar year, and the Vancouver Canucks are in 31st place in the 32-team National Hockey League. This is an improvement on last week. We have learned over that time frame that the Canucks are not losing; they are consolation-prize winners. Out of an available eight points through four games, Vancouver picked up half of those with a 1-1-2 record. If we’re going by college rules, 50% is still a pass.

There were a handful of feel-good storylines this week for the team, namely, Jake DeBrusk shaking off an offensive drought with a three-point game after being healthy scratched, or Kevin Lankinen bagging yet another shootout win, for example. Ultimately, these storylines don’t amount to anything exciting when missing the playoffs is already a foregone conclusion. It is, however, a welcome change to the general influx of feel-bad stories that have afflicted the Canucks in recent years.

Linus Karlsson

Linus Karlsson’s entire season is one of the aforementioned feel-good storylines. Six years after his signing rights were first acquired in possibly the only Jim Benning move that has aged well, Karlsson has won a Calder Cup in Abbotsford and become a full-fledged NHL regular all in the same calendar year.

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Signing contracts & scoring goals. 🤌 Big day for Linus Karlsson.

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5:42 AM · Jan 3, 2026

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Karlsson had three points this week and has been excelling on the wing alongside his countryman, Elias Pettersson, especially in the overtime loss to the Bruins, where their line dominated. Karlsson is intuitive at playmaking but also isn’t afraid to zero in at the net front, aspects of his game that have made him a valuable asset. An exact valuation of $2.25 million AAV, actually, after Karlsson signed a two-year contract extension this week.

Filip Hronek

Following Quinn Hughes’ departure from Vancouver, his former defence partner Filip Hronek has been sucked into the ex-captain’s ridiculous ice-time power vacuum that remained. Hronek has topped all skaters in ice time this week, even playing just over 30 minutes against the Canucks overtime loss against the Boston Bruins. He’s been paired with rookie Zeev Buium a handful of times, who’s been stepping into his predecessor’s skates in more ways than one, and they’ve been formidable in all zones on the ice. Hronek is truly capable of playing on any pairing. For a man of few words and even fewer media engagements, Hronek is an indispensable leader for the Canucks blue line at this point.

A power play goal against Boston complemented Hronek’s three-point week on Saturday night. Back in my day, Hronek’s shot on the power play was as feared as a raptor in Jurassic Park. The team may be down, but Hronek certainly is not.

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🚨Canucks goal🚨 Hronek banks it off McAvoy to tie the game at 2! 🎥 Sportsnet | #Canucks

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4:46 AM · Jan 4, 2026

Elias Pettersson

Since returning from injury last week, Elias Pettersson has been consistent with the Canucks, and was named to Sweden’s Olympic roster. Have yourself a week, EP40.

Pettersson is the glue of the newfangled, shiny, and successful DeBrusk – Pettersson – Karlsson top line, like the one Beatle who kept the band together through the band’s worst strife – it’s up to you to determine which Beatle that is.

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🚨Canucks Goal🚨 Pettersson gets his 10th of the year, and the Canucks tie the game at 1! 🎥 Sportsnet | #Canucks