<p>It was a treat to see the National Hockey League&#8217;s <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/patersons-point-forget-20-question-vancouver-canucks-quinn-hughes-score-25">greatest goal scorer on the ice on Saturday night at Rogers Arena</a>. But enough about Quinn Hughes for the moment.</p>
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<p>Actually, there can never be enough when it comes to Quinn Hughes these days. On too many nights of late, he&#8217;s the only thing Canucks fans have to cheer about. This was another week of mixed results for the hockey club. A good win over league-leading Washington, but it followed a blowout loss in Edmonton and a listless third period effort against Buffalo.</p>
<p>Yes, consistency remains one of the biggest issues for a team that has its share. Fortunately, CanucksArmy readers are as consistent as can be. We ask for questions for our Monday mailbag, and time after time after time, you come through as you did again this week. It&#8217;s a game day, so let&#8217;s not waste any time and get down to the business of answering your many questions.</p>
<blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:debyddp6qokmag544sx4ytfe/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgocyv3u422c" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreic62lyggcgll5bvefllq7d7z7mjflexrpzklkbmgffcyz4k2cruie">
<p lang="en">Is Lankinen the starter now?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:debyddp6qokmag544sx4ytfe?ref_src=embed">Josh Mepham (@joshmepham.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:debyddp6qokmag544sx4ytfe/post/3lgocyv3u422c?ref_src=embed">2025-01-26T20:59:51.593Z</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>I think it&#8217;s premature to make that declaration. I will say, however, that it sure feels like it has to be &#8216;win and you&#8217;re in&#8217; when it comes to Canucks netminding right now. Play well and deliver a result, you get the next game, too. Fall short and you take a seat. The team gave Thatcher Demko a four-start run and it didn&#8217;t have the desired result of getting him into any kind of groove.</p>
<p>After the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/statsies-vancouver-canucks-generate-two-high-danger-chances-mcdavid-less-oilers">6-2 loss in Edmonton on Thursday</a>, it was a no-brainer that the Canucks would go back to Kevin Lankinen on Saturday. And while Lankinen has been sharp allowing just one goal in his past two victories (3-0 in Toronto and 2-1 against Washington), remember he also got lit up for six in a 6-1 beatdown in Winnipeg. So there has been some inconsistency in his game, too.</p>
<p>But when he&#8217;s on, he looks so poised and calm in the net and his rebound control is on point. So I don&#8217;t think the team needs to name a true number one guy at this point. It feels like the ball is in Lankinen&#8217;s court right now. The hope is the puck isn&#8217;t in his net.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Should we legitimately be worried about keeping Hughes happy? He can’t be happy with how things are going, but dismantling the core might upset him as well. Tight rope time for management.</p>
<p>&mdash; Kim Whitford (@fiftyin39) <a href="https://twitter.com/fiftyin39/status/1883557695128801527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>I have changed my stance on this one and now believe that, yes, this ought to be a legitimate concern for the Canucks. Hughes has given this team so much on so many nights this season and it&#8217;s fair now to wonder if he has questions about the direction the franchise is headed. As captain, he&#8217;s had to step up and answer for the subpar performances of so many of his teammates.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s so hard to figure out how more players aren&#8217;t inspired watching Hughes dominate as he does so often. But very clearly his excellence hasn&#8217;t rubbed off on the teammates around him.  Hughes is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one at the absolute steal of a deal price of $7.75M. His focus has been on the ice all season and he has delivered through an awful lot of noise. The franchise can&#8217;t ask a whole lot more of Quinn Hughes. But, my goodness, Hughes is well within his right to demand more of the organization.</p>
<p>This is not meant to scare anyone that the best defenceman in franchise history is exploring exit strategies. However, the hockey club should be doing everything in its power to surround Quinn Hughes with as much talent as possible to capitalize on his incredible level of performance. Finally, the Canucks have the kind of piece they&#8217;ve coveted for 50-plus years. They simply can&#8217;t afford to squander his many gifts.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">How do you expect Pettersson and Miller to play in the Four Nations faceoff for their own country? Would it affect the management&#39;s decision on them?</p>
<p>&mdash; Lorenzo Ernest (@ernestlou) <a href="https://twitter.com/ernestlou/status/1883561716514263375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>I&#8217;m fascinated to find out &#8212; especially when Team USA faces Sweden. It&#8217;s such a short tournament that no country is going to be able to wait for star-level players to find their games. And let&#8217;s be honest, unless something drastic happens over next two weeks, neither Elias Pettersson nor JT Miller is headed to the 4-Nations Face-Off playing particularly well. That&#8217;s going to present an issue for both of their federations. How will the players be deployed? Who will they line up with?</p>
<p>The hope has to be that immersing themselves in a best-on-best environment and surrounding themselves with the top players on the planet will force both Pettersson and Miller to raise their games. Maybe getting away from the day-to-day struggles of the Canucks and the drama that has swirled around the team for too long now will allow both players to flourish. That feels like a longshot at the moment, but it&#8217;s certainly a possibility. As for how that would impact any decisions Canucks management makes, I can&#8217;t imagine a three (or four) game tournament will have much impact on that front unless one or both of the players in question is so good that every other team in the league steps up with incredible trade offers.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why has Tocchet abandoned the &#39;staples&#39;, &#39;wall work&#39;, &#39;protecting the guts of the ice&#39;, and &#39;non-negotiables&#39; approach and rhetoric from last season?  It makes me think he&#39;s simply not being strict and tough enough on the players.</p>
<p>&mdash; ighani01 (@ighani045) <a href="https://twitter.com/ighani045/status/1883646386736120133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>I don&#8217;t think Rick Tocchet has abandoned the basic demands he places on the players and what he expects from them to make the team successful. I just think so many other areas of concern have crept into the Canucks play that we don&#8217;t hear all of those familiar buzzwords as often this season. At the podium on Saturday, Tocchet used the word sustainability over and over and that seems to have shot to the top of this season&#8217;s coach speak catchphrase power rankings.</p>
<p>And understandably so, given the inconsistency he&#8217;s seen from his team &#8212; from period to period and from game to game. Tocchet spoke on Sunday about changing his strategy of giving his team as many days off as he did last season, recognizing that this group is in need of as much practice time as possible. Make no mistake, Rick Tocchet will always have a soft spot in his heart for the guts of the ice. There is no way he&#8217;s turning his back on those any time soon.</p>
<blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:7ir2eslbwzswyvbxr7gjgxst/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgm5p66bak2s" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreieauqlrrf6vt5fwjcx5ggwfj57yjcljwuntxaaah4by63332bbgxy">
<p lang="en">do you think the management is sending mixed signals? Would you say their communications have been incredibly poor this season?</p>
<p>&mdash; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7ir2eslbwzswyvbxr7gjgxst?ref_src=embed"> (@strongthought44.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7ir2eslbwzswyvbxr7gjgxst/post/3lgm5p66bak2s?ref_src=embed">2025-01-26T00:19:37.378Z</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Yes, I think there have been some issues with the messaging from above this season. Patrik Allvin didn&#8217;t offer up a lot of news in his mid-season media address last week. Of course, he put just about everyone on the team on blast in his New Year&#8217;s Q&amp;A with Sportsnet&#8217;s Iain MacIntyre. He&#8217;s spoken about trying to make trades, but hasn&#8217;t managed to add a piece since acquiring Erik Brännström on the eve of the season. He was critical of many of the team&#8217;s top players, but didn&#8217;t take much, if any, ownership of the issues himself.</p>
<p>And as the architect of this roster, he doubled down last week and supported the core and even endorsed the collection of defencemen he has assembled that clearly hasn&#8217;t been good enough. He said he was fine with the team&#8217;s low-event style of play and suggested fans just wanted to see wins &#8212; and yet the team has just nine home ice victories all season. So yes, it&#8217;s been murky messaging for much of the season and it feels like that has just added to the organization&#8217;s inconsistency and instability.</p>
<p>Where last season there was such alignment from the top of the hockey operations department through the front office, down to the coaching staff to the players, this year it has been a much different story &#8212; on and off the ice.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is this year going to end up being the worst of the past decade?</p>
<p>&mdash; Tim (@sregort) <a href="https://twitter.com/sregort/status/1883308659905888427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Most disappointing based on talent level and expectations? Yeah, probably, unless there is an about face and a big second half push. But the actual worst of the past decade? Were you paying attention over the past decade? There was a 30-win and 69 point season in 2016-17 when the team had one 20-goal scorer and missed the playoffs by 25 points.</p>
<p>You want to talk about dark, go look through the stats from that season. On second thought, spare yourself and just trust me that a season that had an early nine-game losing streak and ended with just two wins over the final 17 games wasn&#8217;t a lot of fun. Even with its many flaws, this year&#8217;s team has a Norris Trophy winner playing at a Hart Trophy calibre on a nightly basis and is still on pace for 89 points.</p>
<p>For all the noise that has swirled around this group this year, just remember it has been a whole lot darker around the Vancouver Canucks &#8212; and not that long ago.</p>
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Jeff Paterson's weekly Vancouver Canucks mailbag.

It was a treat to see the National Hockey League's <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/patersons-point-forget-20-question-vancouver-canucks-quinn-hughes-score-25">greatest goal scorer on the ice on Saturday night at Rogers Arena</a>. But enough about Quinn Hughes for the moment.
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&nbsp;

Actually, there can never be enough when it comes to Quinn Hughes these days. On too many nights of late, he's the only thing Canucks fans have to cheer about. This was another week of mixed results for the hockey club. A good win over league-leading Washington, but it followed a blowout loss in Edmonton and a listless third period effort against Buffalo.

Yes, consistency remains one of the biggest issues for a team that has its share. Fortunately, CanucksArmy readers are as consistent as can be. We ask for questions for our Monday mailbag, and time after time after time, you come through as you did again this week. It's a game day, so let's not waste any time and get down to the business of answering your many questions.

https://bsky.app/profile/joshmepham.bsky.social/post/3lgocyv3u422c

I think it's premature to make that declaration. I will say, however, that it sure feels like it has to be 'win and you're in' when it comes to Canucks netminding right now. Play well and deliver a result, you get the next game, too. Fall short and you take a seat. The team gave Thatcher Demko a four-start run and it didn't have the desired result of getting him into any kind of groove.

After the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/statsies-vancouver-canucks-generate-two-high-danger-chances-mcdavid-less-oilers">6-2 loss in Edmonton on Thursday</a>, it was a no-brainer that the Canucks would go back to Kevin Lankinen on Saturday. And while Lankinen has been sharp allowing just one goal in his past two victories (3-0 in Toronto and 2-1 against Washington), remember he also got lit up for six in a 6-1 beatdown in Winnipeg. So there has been some inconsistency in his game, too.

But when he's on, he looks so poised and calm in the net and his rebound control is on point. So I don't think the team needs to name a true number one guy at this point. It feels like the ball is in Lankinen's court right now. The hope is the puck isn't in his net.

https://twitter.com/fiftyin39/status/1883557695128801527

I have changed my stance on this one and now believe that, yes, this ought to be a legitimate concern for the Canucks. Hughes has given this team so much on so many nights this season and it's fair now to wonder if he has questions about the direction the franchise is headed. As captain, he's had to step up and answer for the subpar performances of so many of his teammates.

It's so hard to figure out how more players aren't inspired watching Hughes dominate as he does so often. But very clearly his excellence hasn't rubbed off on the teammates around him.  Hughes is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one at the absolute steal of a deal price of $7.75M. His focus has been on the ice all season and he has delivered through an awful lot of noise. The franchise can't ask a whole lot more of Quinn Hughes. But, my goodness, Hughes is well within his right to demand more of the organization.

This is not meant to scare anyone that the best defenceman in franchise history is exploring exit strategies. However, the hockey club should be doing everything in its power to surround Quinn Hughes with as much talent as possible to capitalize on his incredible level of performance. Finally, the Canucks have the kind of piece they've coveted for 50-plus years. They simply can't afford to squander his many gifts.

https://twitter.com/ernestlou/status/1883561716514263375

I'm fascinated to find out -- especially when Team USA faces Sweden. It's such a short tournament that no country is going to be able to wait for star-level players to find their games. And let's be honest, unless something drastic happens over next two weeks, neither Elias Pettersson nor JT Miller is headed to the 4-Nations Face-Off playing particularly well. That's going to present an issue for both of their federations. How will the players be deployed? Who will they line up with?

The hope has to be that immersing themselves in a best-on-best environment and surrounding themselves with the top players on the planet will force both Pettersson and Miller to raise their games. Maybe getting away from the day-to-day struggles of the Canucks and the drama that has swirled around the team for too long now will allow both players to flourish. That feels like a longshot at the moment, but it's certainly a possibility. As for how that would impact any decisions Canucks management makes, I can't imagine a three (or four) game tournament will have much impact on that front unless one or both of the players in question is so good that every other team in the league steps up with incredible trade offers.

https://twitter.com/ighani045/status/1883646386736120133

I don't think Rick Tocchet has abandoned the basic demands he places on the players and what he expects from them to make the team successful. I just think so many other areas of concern have crept into the Canucks play that we don't hear all of those familiar buzzwords as often this season. At the podium on Saturday, Tocchet used the word sustainability over and over and that seems to have shot to the top of this season's coach speak catchphrase power rankings.

And understandably so, given the inconsistency he's seen from his team -- from period to period and from game to game. Tocchet spoke on Sunday about changing his strategy of giving his team as many days off as he did last season, recognizing that this group is in need of as much practice time as possible. Make no mistake, Rick Tocchet will always have a soft spot in his heart for the guts of the ice. There is no way he's turning his back on those any time soon.

https://bsky.app/profile/strongthought44.bsky.social/post/3lgm5p66bak2s

Yes, I think there have been some issues with the messaging from above this season. Patrik Allvin didn't offer up a lot of news in his mid-season media address last week. Of course, he put just about everyone on the team on blast in his New Year's Q&amp;A with Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. He's spoken about trying to make trades, but hasn't managed to add a piece since acquiring Erik Brännström on the eve of the season. He was critical of many of the team's top players, but didn't take much, if any, ownership of the issues himself.

And as the architect of this roster, he doubled down last week and supported the core and even endorsed the collection of defencemen he has assembled that clearly hasn't been good enough. He said he was fine with the team's low-event style of play and suggested fans just wanted to see wins -- and yet the team has just nine home ice victories all season. So yes, it's been murky messaging for much of the season and it feels like that has just added to the organization's inconsistency and instability.

Where last season there was such alignment from the top of the hockey operations department through the front office, down to the coaching staff to the players, this year it has been a much different story -- on and off the ice.

https://twitter.com/sregort/status/1883308659905888427

Most disappointing based on talent level and expectations? Yeah, probably, unless there is an about face and a big second half push. But the actual worst of the past decade? Were you paying attention over the past decade? There was a 30-win and 69 point season in 2016-17 when the team had one 20-goal scorer and missed the playoffs by 25 points.

You want to talk about dark, go look through the stats from that season. On second thought, spare yourself and just trust me that a season that had an early nine-game losing streak and ended with just two wins over the final 17 games wasn't a lot of fun. Even with its many flaws, this year's team has a Norris Trophy winner playing at a Hart Trophy calibre on a nightly basis and is still on pace for 89 points.

For all the noise that has swirled around this group this year, just remember it has been a whole lot darker around the Vancouver Canucks -- and not that long ago.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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&nbsp;

JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Any concerns about Hughes’ level of happiness with Canucks’ direction?

JPat: Foote steps out of Tocchet’s shadow and into pressure cooker to prove he can squeeze more offence out of Canucks

Vancouver Canucks prospect Anthony Romani skates during his team's 2-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at the 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC.

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