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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: How successful was Adam Foote’s first training camp as Canucks head coach?
Jeff Paterson's weekly Vancouver Canucks mailbag.
Jeff Paterson
Sep 22, 2025, 11:30 EDTUpdated: Sep 22, 2025, 11:24 EDT
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A successful training camp is in the rear-view mirror, and the Vancouver Canucks‘ first preseason game is in the books. It’s hockey season again. While the evaluation process will continue for the coaching staff and management over the next two weeks, fans will begin to make up their minds with each exhibition game that comes off the books. There are still plenty of questions to be answered about the Canucks opening night lineup, and there are plenty of questions in the Monday mailbag. So while we wait for the next preseason game on Wednesday against Calgary in Abbotsford, let’s try to answer some of your questions.
Vibes are certainly high with the Canucks these days. That much was evident over the team’s four days in Penticton. They really are working hard at turning the page and leaving last season in the past. That doesn’t guarantee anything when it comes to making this season a success. But you asked about the mood, and it was evident talking to a number of players at training camp that they think this group is capable of much more than many on the outside are giving them credit for. Ultimately, they’ll be judged when they start playing for keeps on October 9th. But there is a palpable sense around the team that last year’s shortcomings have galvanized this group and they look forward to playing with a collective chip on their shoulders to try to prove people wrong. We shall see. It’s also worth noting that 31 other teams around the NHL all feel good about their chances at this stage of the preseason.
My gut tells me that this group should be able to hang with the playoff pack. Beyond that, my crystal ball needs new batteries, so I can’t make any grand proclamations about how this season will end. I think I’m like most who believe the Canucks should have enough goaltending and on the blueline to keep them in most of their games. Then it’s a question of generating enough offence to pull out victories. I think I can lay out a convincing case that the Canucks should be a wildcard team, but it will take many players having career years like they did two seasons ago. As for your expectations, hey, that’s up to you. But perhaps it’s best to keep those in check and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised if the team is able to keep its head above the playoff bar.

Is there something to be made of Drew O’Connor playing on an AHL line during the camp?

— Dogface Riley (@dogfaceriley.bsky.social) 2025-09-21T17:49:21.438Z

‪Nothing happens by chance at the NHL level. So there was probably some subtle level of messaging when O’Connor found himself on a line with Max Sasson and Danila Klimovich at training camp. But it really was no different than Kiefer Sherwood skating with Braeden Cootes and Arshdeep Bains. O’Connor had Teddy Blueger as his centre in Seattle on Sunday night and those two were together as a penalty killing duo. O’Connor is in no danger when it comes to making the hockey club, but the Canucks need more out of him than they saw in the 31 games he played after being acquired from Pittsburgh. He has undeniable size and speed and now it’s up to him to find a way to apply those traits to help the hockey club. So if a message was sent with his deployment at camp, hopefully the message was received loud and clear.
There has been no indication from the hockey club that it sees Räty as anything but a centre at the National Hockey League level. He lined up there in his 33 games last season. And he was back there on Day 1 of training camp. He has played some wing during his time in Abbotsford, but the Canucks need Räty’s size and face-off prowess to aid their thin stable of centres. The 22-year-old had a few moments at training camp, but I didn’t think he stood out the way he did at last year’s camp when he earned a spot in the opening night line-up. Pre-season will provide a better sense of where Räty is with his game. But for now, certainly, the Canucks view this player as a centreman and I think he’ll be given every opportunity to succeed at that position before the organization considers sliding him to the wing.

Will anything ever come of Klimovich?

— (@drewl10.bsky.social) 2025-09-21T16:40:10.111Z

‪If by ‘anything’ you mean will Danila Klimovich ever play NHL games, I think it’s still a long shot at this stage. But it’s also important to remember that this player led Abbotsford with 25 goals last season, is still just 22-years-old and has scored 52 times in his American Hockey League career. Undeniably, he has a big league shot, but still exhibits questionable decisions with and without the puck and while his attention to details have improved under Manny Malhotra, there is still work to be done in that department. Klimovich took advantage of an increased role while so many of his teammates were called up to the NHL last season, but when Malhotra had a full roster available to him, Klimovich either dropped down the depth chart or came out of the line-up altogether. He certainly isn’t being discussed as part of the group of Abbotsford players with legitimate shots at making the club out of camp. He would likely have to return to the minors and have another big season while rounding out his game to be considered for a call-up at some point during the season.
Ktownchef
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Not a camp question JPat but do you think the last few years have dramatically altered the legacy that Tyler Myers leaves behind as a Canuck? A few years ago he was headed into Loui Eriksson territory and now he may go down as one of the most underrated Canucks ever. Thoughts?

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Yeah, I think that’s fair. Myers was never going to live up to the initial contract he signed with the Canucks. But I will never begrudge a player for taking whatever is offered to him. As a $6M a year player, Myers was understandably in tough to win over the fan base. At half that salary, he now gives the organization an opportunity to extract value from his current deal. His size and skating are undeniable even at 35-years of age. One of the good guys in the game, he has developed into a strong voice in the locker room and serves as an example for many of the young players in the system when it comes to preparation for games and practices.
Adam Foote deserves plenty of credit for helping Myers find a way to play a quieter game than he did in his early years with the hockey club. There will always be mistakes in his game, but they have been limited in size and scope over the past couple of seasons. I anticipate Myers will be an every day player this season, but with the group of young talent pushing for jobs, I wonder if there is a transition plan in place beyond this year. I also wonder if there is a job waiting for Tyler Myers in the organization if that’s a path he chooses to pursue whenever his playing days are done. So yes I firmly believe Canucks fans feel much fonder about Myers now than they did in his first few seasons with the hockey club.

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