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JPat: It’s time the Canucks shift Max Sasson from centre to the wing
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Jan 27, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 26, 2026, 20:34 EST
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If the time hasn’t arrived just yet, it certainly feels like the clock must be ticking on Max Sasson’s stint as a centre for the Vancouver Canucks.
While it’s true the speedster has 10 goals on the season and, in that regard, he is just three off the current team lead now that Kiefer Sherwood has been peddled away. But there is so much more to the job of playing centre at the National Hockey League level, and it feels now more than ever that Sasson’s path to full-time employment is likely on the wing. 
On Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sasson was beaten cleanly on a second period defensive zone faceoff that quickly turned into the Penguins second goal of the game. It was an uncontested faceoff win for Ben Kindel, who then worked his way to the front of the Canucks net and tipped home his first of two goals on the afternoon.
As for Sasson, that was one of four faceoffs he took in the game and one of three that he lost. On the season, the 25-year-old Birmingham, MI native is now 42.4% in the faceoff circle. For his career, he is 42.5%. At home this season, where Sasson can be put in favourable match-up positions, he has won just 36.1% of his faceoffs. Clearly, those are not sustainable numbers over the long haul for a guy trying to scratch out a career at this level. Especially when Sasson is playing ahead of faceoff ace Aatu Räty (among the league leaders at 60.4% on the draw).
While Sasson’s 10 goals represent solid production for a lower in the lineup player, his 12 points include just two assists – one at 5-on-5 this season and one on the power play and none since November 26th. And even at that, Sasson’s most recent assist was a deflection of a Marcus Pettersson point shot that was going wide. The puck then caromed off the end boards to Linus Karlsson on the other side of the net. So while Sasson picked up a point on the play, it wasn’t exactly a show of offensive creativity. Meanwhile, Räty also has 12 points and has done so in seven fewer games. 
It’s clear the coaching staff has issues with areas of Räty’s game that continue to keep him out of the lineup on a regular basis. And that works in Sasson’s favour for now. But with a glut of centres available to the Canucks with the return from injury of Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil – and at some point hopefully Marco Rossi, too – along with Elias Pettersson and David Kämpf, there may not be room for either of Sasson or Räty in the middle of the ice. 
That’s why it feels like it’s time to move Sasson to the wing. He can still use his speed to drive play and be disruptive on the forecheck. Several of his goals this season have come as a direct result of using his speed to get a step on defenders. And he can still do that from the wing. But it’s pretty clear by now that he hasn’t demonstrated an ability to be any kind of playmaker. As with all Canucks centres this season, there is the legitimate chicken and egg question about whether the guys in the middle haven’t set up the wingers adequately or whether the wingers have failed the centres by not converting on the chances they’ve had.
However, Sasson’s three most common linemates this season are Linus Karlsson, Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor – three of the team’s leading goal scorers – and yet Sasson has set up just one of their goals. His other assist came on a Filip Hronek power play goal in Florida.
In his 49 games this season, Sasson has held his head above water, carrying a 51.2% individual Corsi; the team has been outshot by 30 in his 5-on-5 minutes and outscored 23-15. The expected goals percentage with Sasson on the ice is 44.8%. On the team’s recent 1-11-2 struggle, those numbers have dipped across the board with the team outscored 8-3 and with Sasson carrying an xGF percentage of 43.6%. All of those statistics have come in limited ice time and largely sheltered minutes. 
Regardless, with Sasson earning a new two-year, $2M extension last month, he clearly figures in the hockey club’s plans. But with Braeden Cootes expected to push for a centre spot as early as next season, there doesn’t seem to be a long-term plan in place for Sasson at centre. A diligent worker who seems popular with his teammates, Sasson has shown he can play in the NHL. And having earned 77 NHL games and playing a key role in Abbotsford’s Calder Cup Championship last spring, Sasson represents an enormous win for the organization after signing him as a free agent out of college in 2023. 
But as this organization plots its path forward, it needs to figure out how to get more from the depth centre position than two assists and a 42% faceoff win rate. The Canucks have to determine where Sasson fits on the depth chart and how best to use his natural gift as an above-average skater to help the hockey club. With 30 games remaining in a season that has gone sideways, now feels like the perfect opportunity to experiment with a player like Max Sasson. Give him a look on the wing and see what he can do.

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