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3 Canucks Stars of the Week: Young Canucks defencemen make a strong case for the future
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Arielle Lalande
Mar 29, 2026, 19:22 EDT
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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!
Surely, there have been worse weeks for the Canucks. They were not horrible, nor were they excellent either – ultimately, they failed to get in the win column, a recurring trend in 2026. It’s quite confusing to determine whether moral wins or undeniable blowout losses are better valued at this point.
The team finished off their lengthy home stand with a 2-6-0 record, capped by two losses to division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings, before starting their road trip with a stinging loss to the Calgary Flames. These games were a great sample size of the nosedive the Pacific Division has somehow collectively experienced this year. Teams that completely skew the division goal differential together stay together. 
With just 10 games left to land the plane, I have a feeling that the Canucks are not about to pull a Sully Sullenberger and wow us all. Hey, at least they’ll have the third overall pick once it’s all said and done.

Rock Bottom Stats Corner

Games played this week(s): 3
Games won this week(s): 0
Goals scored this week(s): 6
Goals against this week(s): 16
Total points gained this week(s): 0
Games since last win: 5
Games won in 2026: 5
Goals scored in 2026: 72
Goals against in 2026: 137
Players traded in 2026: 7

Jake DeBrusk

It’s the end of the year, and Jake DeBrusk has kindly reminded us that he is still on the Vancouver Canucks – for the time being, at least. 
Without speculating too much on the future of DeBrusk, he, along with the team at large, has had a more subdued year, but he is still sitting not far behind his previous point totals. He currently sits at 34 points (16G, 18A) with 10 games left to go, compared to 48 points last year. The numbers are not too far off, but DeBrusk has by and large been far less noticeable on the ice than in the past. 
That said, DeBrusk left this week with two power play goals – his first points since March 6th. DeBrusk is known to be a hot-and-cold player, so this is not surprising. However, he was also initially brought in and advertised as a power play specialist, if you could still say that the current roster specializes in anything other than ethically tanking. Actually, over half of DeBrusk’s points this season so far (18) are on the power play, with 13 out of his 16 goals coming with the man advantage. This week was most definitely a return to the DeBrusk that was promised, even if the team at large did not secure a win.
Evidently, the future of the team when DeBrusk first came to Vancouver in free agency in 2024 looked very different. At the time, putting pen to paper on a seven-year deal made sense. Now, nothing does. The Canucks have effectively become an Expressionist painting, something close to a known reality, but just troubling enough that you start to seriously question it. 

Elias Pettersson

With two assists against the Ducks, Elias Pettersson logged 500 career points – now 502, following two more assists against Calgary this week.
To take a moment and look at it objectively, Pettersson is 27 years old and has played 535 regular-season career games. This puts him at .94 points per game, barely under a point-per-game player. This accomplishment, at this age, is immense. It is frankly impossible to look at it otherwise. 
And then, we must look at it in context. Yes, Pettersson has seen a sharp drop-off from the 102- and 89-point ranges he reached in 22-23 and 23-24, respectively, especially after signing an 8-year, $11.6 million contract through 2032. It is disappointing, given his contract, and there is no way around that hard truth. Last year, Pettersson had 45 points in 64 games, which happens to be where he sits currently, too, with 10 games left on the schedule yet to be played. 
Given the milestone, this discussion focuses solely on his point production, completely ignoring the fact that he is a prolific defensive player who plays a central role on the ice regardless. Ultimately, though, the term “two-way centre” tends to emphasize one of those “ways” more than the other. Once you establish a certain ceiling and skillset, it is very, very difficult for everyone to just forget about it. Elias Pettersson’s insane slapshot haunts the nightmares of many, still, probably. 
Most of Pettersson’s contemporaries in the 490-510 point range of all-time points leaders – Zach Hyman, Bryan Rust, Pavel Buchnevich, to name a few – have all taken more than 100 more games than Pettersson to reach the 500 point mark, and are all at least three years older than him. 
The question will never again be whether Elias Pettersson can return to the complete player he can be; it is whether he will do it in Vancouver or start fresh elsewhere.  

The Young Blueliners 

This week, they all deserve the nod.
Whether it was D-Petey’s efforts against the Kings, Victor Mancini taking advantage of his size and cutting down on rookie mistakes, Zeev Buium’s scrum with Brandt Clarke, or Tom Willander’s 3:17-minute-long shift in the aforementioned nightmare game against LA, the up-and-coming Canucks D-core have shown that, above all, they care.
They are at the stage in their young careers where they are hungry to play the calibre of professional hockey that they were promised and have looked forward to their entire lives, and it shows. This week, they played with an effort beyond what is required of a last place team in late March, which is precisely the point. If they have this much fight – literally and figuratively – when there is technically nothing left to fight for, imagine this kind of attitude carrying into playoff hockey? Long-term postseason performers are not plucked from midair, but developed, whether their team is a contender yet or not.
These are some of the members of the group that will set the tone for the Canucks in the coming years. It’s nice to see their passion, even if it’s downright frustration, over apathy. 
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