One step forward, one step back. Beating the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday may have been fun in the moment and certainly helped pad the stats of some Vancouver Canucks players, but ultimately the game they needed this weekend was the one that got away on Sunday against Utah. And so while the Canucks remain above the playoff bar in the Western Conference for the moment, they are clinging to that final wild card spot by the slimmest of margins. In fact, by points percentage they are currently the ninth best team in the conference. And so it is for the Canucks living on the razor’s edge with 15 games remaining on their schedule. The Canucks offence isn’t reliable, but CanucksArmy readers are. They always have questions and that helps us deliver the weekly Monday mailbag.
Without question, Brock Boeser misses JT Miller. He said as much earlier in the week. That said, life marches on and Boeser needs to find a way to snap out of his funk which has now reached a dozen games without a goal. He’s a volume shooter and needs players to get him the puck. He has just 14 shots in 12 games since the 4-Nations break and that is troubling. Overall, Boeser remains a better player than he has shown of late and it seems the trade speculation ahead of the March 7th deadline impacted his performance. But it’s more than just a 12-game run. Boeser has just four goals in his last 31 games in 2025. JT Miller was here for a good chunk of that stretch and there still wasn’t much of a payoff. So while there is no doubt Boeser has not adjusted to playing with other centres since Miller was dealt, this is has been an issue for far too long now. It’s hurting the hockey club and at the same time putting a dent in Boeser’s bargaining position as he heads toward unrestricted free agency.
Let’s run through the candidates, shall we? Jake Debrusk is already there with 23. Pius Suter has 18 and has regained his scoring touch with a couple of goals of late. Brock Boeser has stalled out at 18 and may be the wild card in all of this. He has to have two more goals in him over the final 15 games. Doesn’t he? Conor Garland’s up to 17 after his goal on Saturday and I think he’ll reach 20 for the second consecutive season. That leaves Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson as the other candidates. Hughes scored in both games over the weekend to bump his total to 16 on the season. He’s surely driven to get to 20 for the first time in his career. EP40 is at 15 after scoring in four of five games prior to Sunday. Overall, this is still a team that doesn’t score at a great rate and they’ve got a difficult schedule ahead. So I’m going to say the Canucks will end the season with four 20-goal guys and a couple of others bumping right up against that bar.
I’ve been really impressed with his mobility for a big guy. He skates well and has shown confidence with the puck in a limited capacity. But with D-Petey leaving the game and Derek Forbort feeling the effects of a shot block, Mancini was basically thrust into a top four role for much of the night in Calgary on Wednesday and looked ready for the prime time opportunity. His underlying numbers haven’t been great, but the Canucks have outscored opponents 3-1 at 5-on-5 through the seven games he’s drawn into. And he’s only taken one penalty so far as a Canuck, so he’s finding ways to defend while staying within the rules of the game. You can see the raw tools and now it’s a question of what the Canucks are able to do to develop Mancini into an every day player at a premium position.
In Vancouver, no? In Abbotsford, maybe. Patera is sort of the forgotten man in the system this season having not played a game anywhere since am early November injury. He’s appeared in just seven games for Abbotsford after a rough first training camp with the NHL Canucks. With Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs all under contract for next season and Nikita Tolopilo looking for a breakthrough opportunity at the NHL level, it’s hard to know where exactly Patera fits into the mix. He’s a 26-year-old with seven NHL starts under his belt so it’s hard to imagine he’s seen as more than organizational depth. It’s possible that off-season trade activity throws the Canucks goaltending depth chart into flux. It’s also possible that the team will look to add a netminder with some experience for the system. Through it all, though, I just don’t see Jiri Patera as the number three guy for the big league Canucks at the start of next season.
I’d like to see Tom Willander sign, turn pro and finish the season in Abbotsford. But as a first round pick, he holds almost all the cards here and if wants NHL games this season as part of his deal, the Canucks likely have to oblige. His season at Boston University will extend at least through next week and by then the Canucks will have just 12 games remaining on their schedule (even fewer if BU continues to play beyond next weekend). If the Canucks are still in a tight playoff chase, I have a tough time seeing this coaching staff wanting to plug a player – even one with Willander’s pedigree – into the mix sight unseen. That’s why I’d like to see him go and play a prominent role in Abbotsford to get his feet wet as a pro. That said, this is the time of season when legends are born. So watch him get plugged in and wind up playing Stanley Cup Playoff hockey this spring.
Reports over the weekend had Florida looking to re-engage Bennett on a contract extension. I have a feeling they’ll find a way to get something done preventing him from hitting the open market. The Panthers just seem to get those types of things done with their players. As for Byfield, I never believed he was available ahead of the deadline, but the thinking made some sense that if the Kings wanted to go all in this season and make a splash at the deadline it was going to come at a cost – and I think that’s how Byfield’s name entered the conversation. But he’s having a breakout season and looks like a cornerstone piece of what the Kings are trying to put together. He’s up to 40 points as a 22-year-old and has the chops to beat you in a bunch of different ways. I don’t see how he’s an option. So that leaves a player like Nikolaj Ehlers who will have plenty of suitors with his speed and scoring. I think the Canucks will be in on Ehlers if he gets to market, but at 29, he’s going to be looking for a big money deal as a UFA. The Canucks will have dough to spend, but Ehlers, ultimately, will get to decide what he thinks is the best fit. The Canucks could certainly use his speed and his reliable scoring. But some will say this teams need more size and grit than Ehlers provides. I say why can’t they chase both in the offseason?
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