With exactly ZERO elite players or prospects, hav the Canucks become the most ‘mid’ team in the NHL?
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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: What can Canucks fans watch for over the second half of the season?
Jan 5, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 5, 2026, 12:40 EST
Happy New Year! Or is it? The Vancouver Canucks are still looking for their first victory of 2026. Canada’s World Junior team coughed up a golden opportunity to play in today’s gold medal game. At least sports fans in these parts have the Seattle Seahawks to cheer for. But this is a Canucks-focussed website, and as such, we have to keep our eyes on the prize – that first overall pick in the 2026 National Hockey League draft. As the hockey club starts into the second half of its schedule on Tuesday in Buffalo, we offer up the mid-term Monday Mailbag at the halfway mark of what has been a wildly disappointing season so far. On to better things, like answering your questions:
Look, it’s been bleak this season. I think we all know that. But through the darkness there is always even a little light. Beyond playing the NHL Draft simulator for hours on end and counting down the days until Olympic hockey, you can look for the deployment – and hopefully the development – of several of the team’s young players. How much do defencemen Tom Willander, Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson play? And in what situations? Same goes for Liam Öhgren. It was nice to see Öhgren get a shift in overtime on Saturday against Boston. Hopefully there is more of that in the months ahead.
When he’s healthy, how quickly will Jonathan Lekkerimäki get recalled from Abbotsford and get another chance to contribute in the NHL? And does Victor Mancini get another shot at some point this season? So those are a few of the things to monitor between now and the end of April. Of course, there is also trade watch ahead of the March 6th deadline. And beyond that, there are plenty of draft prospects to watch and follow. But let’s be honest, really the biggest day of the season looks like it will be the Draft Lottery.
They’re certainly in the conversation. The Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings aren’t exactly a ton of fun to watch these days either. You can lump the New York Rangers in there, too on most nights, although they showed some signs of life in the Winter Classic. And let’s not exclude the last-place Winnipeg Jets from this discussion. So the Canucks have plenty of company in the NHL’s ‘mid’ club. The answer above lists a few things that could make the Canucks somewhat compelling to watch over the second half of the schedule. But without a doubt, the lack of game breakers on the roster and in the system is the biggest need for this organization. However, in the here and now, his is a pretty blah collection of players which is why the Canucks are where they are in the standings.
I’m fascinated by our basement brothers, the Winnipeg Jets. In common with the Canucks: underperformance, long term contracts for aging players, high end goalie. But Jets are all-in whereas the Canucks are in a Prius. Which of the two teams is likely to make the playoffs first?
The fall of the Jets is a fascinating case study. From a 56-win and 116-point season that yielded a President’s Trophy last spring to bottom feeders now, the fall from grace has been shocking in speed, size and scope. I don’t know if people realize just how bad it is in The Peg or how far the once mighty have fallen. The Jets are winless in nine and have just three wins in their last 21 games. The Jets have not gotten many saves on the nights Connor Hellebuyck isn’t between the pipes, and they have perhaps the worst depth scoring in the league. The Jets’ fifth-leading scorer has just 15 points at the midway mark of the schedule. But as bleak as this season has been in The Peg, the Jets’ roster still boasts reigning Hart and Vezina winner Hellebuyck, along with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Josh Morrissey, who are all having decent seasons. Based on that core four, I’d say the Jets are better positioned to return to the playoffs sooner than the Canucks. That doesn’t mean the Jets are poised to contend any time soon. But they have players at every position who are still performing better than anyone on the Canucks’ roster this season. And there may still be enough there to drag that group above the playoff bar again as early as next season.
Baring any changes, #canucks look to have at centre Petey, Rossi, Chytil, Sasson, Räty, and possibly Cootes. Who do you see moving to the wing?
Answers to questions like this always come with a caveat that these are the Canucks we’re talking about and the idea that all of these players will be healthy at the same time will need to be seen to be believed. Also, you didn’t include Teddy Blueger on this list, but he is travelling with the team on its current road trip and could be an option before long, too. Ideally, I think the Canucks would like to see what a Pettersson-Rossi-Chytil-Blueger line-up looks like in uniform and on the ice. That leaves Räty and Sasson scrapping for their spots on the depth chart. Räty’s face-off prowess makes him a useful piece and Sasson’s speed is something the Canucks would probably like to find space for. Räty could be converted to a winger that slides in to take draws. And Sasson has played 38 games at centre this season and has just two assists, so playmaking hasn’t been his strong suit and long-term he may be better served moving to the wing. We won’t worry about Braeden Cootes’ role in all of this at this point. On paper, it appears to be a logjam down the middle. But who knows when we’ll see Rossi again, and, sadly, how long any Chytil comeback attempt will last?
Why is Boeser automatically on EVERY single PP? He’s got like 2 goals in 2 months. He also plays multiple shifts in O.T. and is a massive liability due to no foot speed. Also why does he automatically get to shoot in the shootouts too? Why is he never held accountable? #Canucks
It’s turning into a lost season for the veteran winger. And it started with such promise with six goals in his first 12 games. But it’s been 16 games now since Boeser scored (November 28th in San Jose) and that’s his lone goal in the past 23 games. He has just two points in the last 16 games, but one of them was an exquisite pass to Jake DeBrusk for a power play goal against Seattle last Friday night. And that’s why Boeser remains on the top power play unit. He’s not used as a shooting threat, but he is an experienced and underrated passer with the man-advantage. And certainly he’s had success in the past as a netfront guy. However, his lone power play goal this season came back on October 16th in Dallas. That’s a long time ago now.
As for Boeser’s usage in overtime, I wonder if that’s an area we see a change when the Canucks have healthy options like Marco Rossi and Conor Garland back in the line-up. As mentioned above, not only did Liam Ohgren get a shift in overtime against Boston, he used his speed to generate the team’s only shot of the extra session. And when it comes to shootouts, Boeser has only participated in two of the four the Canucks have been to this season. And you may not want to hear this, but he’s one for two and is second on the team to Ohgren in conversion percentage. So maybe the team needs more Boeser, not less, when it comes to the skills competition. Perhaps it’s time for Elias Pettersson (0/4) and Conor Garland (0/3) to go to the back of the line.
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