Recent articles from Jeff Paterson

How do you think #canucks fans and media are handling the rebuild? Everyone seems shocked at what’s happening after calling for it for a decade

6:55 PM · Oct 31, 2026

Overall, I think people have reacted the way you’d hope they would for a team in the early stages of a stated rebuild. No one liked watching the Canucks get whipped in Carolina or no-show at home against Detroit. But there was no sign of panic in the market. Sure, there was some angst as the early-season losing skid hit double digits. I don’t think people wanted to see things get that bad so early in the schedule. But — spoiler alert — there are going to be some long nights the rest of the way this season and probably for several years to come. It comes with the territory. I will say people seem to like what they’ve seen from Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defenceman Elias Pettersson.

There have been mixed reviews for Tom Willander and Liam Öhgren. And people want to see more from Zeev Buium. And so do I. The frustration I sense, while still fairly muted, is aimed far more at under-producing veterans and not at any of the young players in the lineup. I think it’s too soon to make any sweeping generalizations on the development of the young players on the NHL roster. They’re in over their heads almost every night out. And I think the market is savvy enough to recognize the good news stories with this franchise are lurking far beneath the big league roster. And for most people the early reviews of what they’re seeing in Abbotsford, at Boston University and in Peterborough, Ontario are fairly favourable.

Mike in the Valley

@mikeinthevalley

Of the players that are likely to be moved in season, who have increased/decreased their value the most?

4:54 PM · Nov 1, 2026

Of the pending unrestricted free agents, I’d say Drew O’Connor’s tough start with too few points and far too many penalties has not done wonders for his trade value. Paul Cotter shot out of a cannon, but has since been a healthy scratch and has one point in his last 11 games. That’s not exactly attracting attention around the league. I’ve never believed that Filip Chytil held much trade value due to his injury history and being placed on IR – again – last Friday just sort of drives that point home even further. And while Jake DeBrusk’s name surfaces repeatedly in this market, he hasn’t exactly played his way into meaningful trade discussion with just three goals in 16 games and without one in nine games since he last scored at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago.

As for the risers, I’d have to say centre Elias Pettersson has likely turned some heads around the league with his start to the season. Given where his game was coming off two down seasons, clearly he’s boosted his value. And kind of quietly, Filip Hronek has put together 12 points in 16 games, and while it hasn’t always looked pretty to start the season, the veteran blueliner seems to have found his game over the past week, and I think he’s at the very least retained what would be significant trade value. But we all know he has no interest in moving on at this point.

Zeevforcaptain

@Hockeyfore

Should Merilainen be given the #1 job? Our young defence can benefit playing in front of him. Or Keep playing Lankinen, we are going for the #1 pick ?

7:41 PM · Oct 31, 2026

It certainly feels like we’ve seen a shift on the Canucks goaltending depth chart over the past two weeks. Leevi Meriläinen has started four straight and seven of the team’s last nine games. In fact, since October 13th, only Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt has made more starts than Meriläinen. He has very definitely shouldered a legitimate starter’s workload. But it’s important to note that in his four straight starts over the past week, Meriläinen is sporting an .861 save percentage and it’s fair to wonder if the heavy usage is starting to catch up with him.

After Saturday’s loss to the Maple Leafs, Manny Malhotra said he was rolling with Meriläinen because he gave the Canucks the best chance to win. And while that assessment seems to be true, it still may not give the team a good chance to win on many nights. The Canucks have probably overplayed Meriläinen a little of late, but it’s understandable given Kevin Lankinen’s many and obvious struggles. His last outing against Detroit was not NHL quality, but he wasn’t alone in a substandard performance that night. Lankinen needs to re-earn the trust of the coaching staff and probably of his teammates, too. And while he tries to claw his way back into a larger share of starts, it certainly seems like Leevi Meriläinen is the preferred option in the Canucks crease.

Steven McIntyre

@SDMcIntyre824

Do you think Rossi would be better suited on the wing once Chytil is back? He has 1 point in his last 12 games, and doesn't seem to be as effective as he was last season.

6:51 PM · Nov 1, 2026

It’s hard to figure out where things have gone sideways for Rossi so early in the season. I firmly believe he’s a much better player than he showed in an underwhelming October. But it’s on him to go out and prove it. And hopefully soon. Where’s the guy that showed vision and playmaking skills to lead the club offensively down the stretch last season? He’s lost his spot on the top power play unit, his ice time has taken a hit and he simply isn’t impacting hockey games offensively at all. But shifting him to the wing (again)?

First of all, there is no guarantee Filip Chytil is back any time soon or will remain healthy for long whenever he does. So that’s always a wildcard. And this team is so thin down the middle even with Chytil in the lineup; I’m not sure what their lines would look like with Rossi as a full time winger. EP40, Chytil, Sasson and Quillan doesn’t feel like a long-term answer to anything. Or maybe it’s Cotter instead of Quillan. Again, not any sort of workable solution. So I’m not sure I’m in favour of moving Marco Rossi to the wing. But I also don’t have much of an appetite to watch him spin his wheels and struggle to generate for much longer. Ah, such are the issues plaguing this hockey club these days.

Samuel Fleming

@nashman92

Considering how mediocre the Pacific Division has been both last year and to begin this year, is there something really ironic in the timing of the Canucks rebuild where it was both necessary and yet there might have been an opening if competency had been maintained?

9:38 PM · Oct 31, 2026

I hear where you’re coming from, but the 50-win, 109-point version of the Canucks couldn’t get past the Oilers in the spring of 2024. So it’s hard to look at the landscape and think that the past two seasons have been any kind of missed opportunity. The spring of 2024 marked the start of the decline of Elias Pettersson. That 2024 season also featured career-bests for so many guys (Boeser, Miller, Hughes, Hoglander and Joshua), and that generally isn’t repeatable. We can always wonder how a healthy Thatcher Demko might have changed the discussion, but the reality is that he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to make that more than an educated guess.

So sure, it’s a fun game to play, to ponder how things might have gone, but even with a weak Pacific Division, the playoff road was still going to go through places like Edmonton and Vegas, and that would certainly have presented stiff challenges for any Canucks team. I think the biggest ‘what if’ remains: was there a world in which Quinn Hughes would have considered staying if the Canucks were legitimate contenders? But as we’ve seen with many of his friends around the league (and Olympic teammates), even that feels like a long shot.

Jay

@TheHeartPlumber

Mancini is a few games away from being waiver-eligible. What should the Canucks do with him for the remainder of the season?

4:48 PM · Nov 1, 2026