Recent articles from Jeff Paterson

What letter grade do you give the Canucks for this first quarter of the season? Better yet, why that grade?

3:26 AM · Nov 16, 2025

I’d have to go with a C+.

The 9-9-2 record is about as average as it gets. And yet, in many ways, it’s quite remarkable, too. The Canucks have managed nine wins with no 5-on-5 goals from Evander Kane, just one 5-on-5 goal from Jake DeBrusk, and a power play goal each from Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser. But they also have a dozen goals from Kiefer Sherwood, six power play goals from DeBrusk, five goals from Drew O’Connor, four goals from Max Sasson, six points from Linus Karlsson, and four points from MacKenzie MacEachern. So, go figure. The team’s underlying numbers are a massive issue. But their ability to hang around in games and grind out points has been commendable. They’ve scored more than I thought they might, but have given up way too much, particularly on the penalty kill. They’ve been good on the road (6-4-1) and disappointing again on home ice (3-5-1). With all the injuries, it remains difficult to get a genuine gauge of this team’s ceiling. But, without a doubt, the Canucks have provided plenty of talking points just 20 games into the season.

With all the injuries, is the extra ice time for younger players like Willander and Raty developing them faster, or will it hurt the Canucks’ long-term [rushing] prospects?

Gajic

@TheGajic

With all the injuries, is the extra ice time for younger players like Willander and Raty developing them faster or will it hurt the Canucks long term to rush prospects?

9:11 PM · Nov 15, 2025

I think the two players mentioned are both coming along nicely at the NHL level. Raty is averaging 13:03 a game and has a goal and five assists in that limited ice time. They are not overplaying him or asking him to do too much. They’ve tasked him with winning key face-offs, and because of that, he has found himself used as a penalty killer on occasion. He’s not flashy, but Raty has quietly settled in as the team’s third-line centre and the Canucks have outscored opponents 9-6 in his 5-on-5 minutes. He’s coming along nicely.

After a clunky training camp and preseason, Willander has shown he’s ready for the bright lights of the big league. Wisely, he’s been sheltered for the most part. But the team has a positive goal differential (3-2) through his first 10 NHL games thus far. He skates well, shows the smarts that made him a first-round draft pick, defends well with his stick and body position, and will only get better. It doesn’t feel like he’s been rushed at all. If the club was asking too much of these players or playing either of them higher in the line-up, that would present challenges. But I don’t think that’s been the case with either one. I’d say, in their own ways, Raty and Willander both rate as good news stories from the first six weeks of the season.

Why is Evander Kane the top-used forward consistently when he isn’t producing and takes a penalty 84% of the time?

ali

@earthto_ali

Why is evander kane the top used forward consistently when he isn’t producing and takes a penalty 84% of the time

8:30 PM · Nov 15, 2025

I have not been able to independently verify the ‘penalty 84% of the time’ part of this question, but I get where you’re coming from. The Canucks have definitely had the full Evander Kane experience in 20 games, and his heavy workload is both a thing and a mystery.

Over the weekend, I pointed out on X that Kane is third among all NHL forwards in 5-on-5 ice time, behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That is wild. What makes it even more head-scratching is that Kane doesn’t have a 5-on-5 goal yet this season. Oddly, he has a pair of 6-on-5 goals and one at 5-on-4. He leads the team in ice time among forwards, shots on goal, and also both penalties taken and penalties drawn. But despite his 60 shots on goal, he’s only found the back of the net three times (5% shooting). He has 40 hits in 20 games, so he hasn’t been overly physical, but he has delivered the biggest hit by any Canuck this season when he lowered the boom on Edmonton’s Alec Regula in the second game of the season.

On one hand, Kane’s heavy usage speaks to a lack of better options for Adam Foote up front. But there is no reason for him to be among the league leaders in time on ice. It’s impossible to say Kane is thriving with the opportunity. And it’s not like he and Elias Pettersson have forged incredible chemistry. In fact, those two have yet to figure on a single goal together through the first 20 games of the season.

I’m sure enough people are asking about Kane’s ice time and our injuries/futures on the team. So, let’s talk about the value of authentic hockey writers like Pass It To Bulis.

I mentioned this on X earlier in the week, but the news of Daniel Wagner’s layoff sucks. There is no other way to put it. It sucks for a guy with a job he loved and was good at, and it sucks as a husband and a father with a family to support. But it also sucks for the market. We need more people covering the hockey club and asking questions of coaches and players, not fewer. Daniel is a unique voice in the market and often pursues story angles that others don’t. I hope he continues that work on his own, but I know from experience that it can be difficult to put in the hours when there isn’t a paycheque attached. I also know that the timing of the decision stinks because full-time hockey jobs are hard enough to come by, but even tougher 20 games into a new season. Most full-time hiring in the hockey cycle is done in the summer months. So I wish nothing but the best for Wags and hope to see him back around the rink in short order.

As for the broader question of content and engagement, hockey coverage will continue even if one voice is muted (hopefully only momentarily). I have always said covering hockey is a great job, but a cruel business. And that point was driven home again last week. But I hope that with a new season of The Botchford Project launched, anyone considering this line of work will still pursue that path. There will always be stories to be told and an appetite in the market for those stories. I’m a strong believer that good content will always find an audience. So while we all pull for a Daniel Wagner comeback story, we will push on in our own ways, trying to bring as many Canucks stories as possible to a fan base craving fresh, unique, and original content. I told Daniel that they can take his job, but they can’t take his voice. So I sincerely hope he remains active on social media and finds ways to get his thoughts and views about the hockey club to the masses.

What do you think about this trade idea: Nils Höglander to Columbus for Cole Sillinger

Steven Wong

@hockey17srw

What do you think about this trade idea: Nils Hoglander to Columbus for Cole Sillinger?

8:59 PM · Nov 15, 2025