If The Athletic were to re-run their poll from April 2026 of worst run franchises, would the Canucks still be highest on that list?
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JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Have the Canucks put all the drama behind them as they begin their rebuild?
Sep 21, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 21, 2026, 02:09 EDT
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In a few short months, I think it’s safe to say the Canucks will no longer occupy the league basement. While the new regime has yet to oversee a regular-season game, it does feel like there is a new approach to the way the Canucks are going about their business. The answer to your question, however, likely has less to do with what the Canucks have done and more to do with what the Detroit Red Wings have not done. The Wings have not hired a general manager, and they still haven’t resolved the sticky situation with their captain Dylan Larkin, who still wants out (but doesn’t want to talk about it).
From afar, things look quite messy in the Motor City. I think Detroit probably takes over as the most dysfunctional team in the league at the moment. The ongoing Connor Hellebuyck saga in Winnipeg is putting GM Kevin Cheveldayoff on the hot seat in that market. And don’t ever leave the Columbus Blue Jackets out of any conversation of this type. CBJ already has the coach calling out players for reporting to camp out of shape, and the organization still has to get star forward Adam Fantilli signed. So it’s safe to say there are franchises around the league that seemed to have moved past the Canucks on the dysfunction scale – arguably by a considerable margin – over the summer months.
In your opinion, what’s the pros and cons about this current Canucks roster?
Let’s be honest here, it’s tough to find a lot of positives with a roster that struggled to score, couldn’t prevent goals, and finished 32nd and last in the league last year. I suppose one of the positives – maybe the biggest positive – is that sweeping change came. And it had to. And more still is needed. If you look at any one position, you’d have to say there is still plenty of potential in the trio of young blueliners the club has assembled in Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson. DPetey is the oldest of that bunch and is still just 22. If all three continue to develop, that has the potential to be the makings of a solid defensive corps as the rebuild takes shape. Another positive is the quality of people the Canucks brought in over the summer. Ultimately, we’ll see what kind of impact Luke Schenn, Brendan Gallagher and Jamie Oleksiak have on the ice and in the locker room, but I think it was a worthwhile venture to seek out high-character veterans on short-term, low-risk deals.
As for cons, there are plenty. Most notably, in my opinion, is the stark lack of game-breaking talent up front. With just 210 goals in 82 games last season, the Canucks finished ahead of only Calgary (208) in team scoring. Jake DeBrusk led the club with 23 goals and Brock Boeser had 22. They were the only players to crack the 20-goal mark last season. In all, the Canucks had just four players score more than 15 goals last season. Unfortunately, I think goals are going to be awfully tough to come by again this season. The club is surely banking on some bounce-back seasons, and some improvement from within, but someone would really have to step up to reach 30 goals. And even that is still a pretty modest total when you look at some of the goal scorers around the league.
Do you think Hronek is gone by trade deadline?
I do not think that. But that does not mean it won’t happen. The Canucks don’t consult me on these matters. However, between Filip Hronek stating repeatedly that this is where he wants to be and the fact the club will likely lean on him as a workhorse again this season, I don’t see it happening. I think Hronek will once again be a strong voice as part of a revamped leadership group. He seems to have embraced the mentor role to the young blueliners mentioned above. And there is real value in that. Hronek enjoys the security of a full no-movement clause for this season and next, and then the protection becomes a 15-team no-trade clause in the 2028-29 season. So do I think Filip Hronek will be gone by the trade deadline? Perhaps at some trade deadline, just not the next one.
Who is the Canuck’s EBUG??
Ryan Johnson assured me at training camp that the Canucks have made a selection, but the club just hasn’t revealed it. So the EBUG shall remain nameless for the moment. Well, he has a name, the public just hasn’t been privy to it yet. In a perfect world, the EBUG won’t be needed, so it won’t really matter. All Johnson would say is that it won’t be 53-year-old mortgage broker Alex Kotai who has served as a practice goalie in both Vancouver and Abbotsford the past few seasons. With a big grin, Johnson marvelled at Kotai’s ability to drop what he was doing and answer the call if the Canucks needed a goalie on short notice. Kotai was on the ice earlier this month at captain’s skates at Rogers Arena and Britannia. But he won’t be the team’s EBUG.
Based on mgmt philosophy, is there any reason to suspect the Canucks will fit in any young guys, or will they stack Abbotsford for another Calder Cup run?
— CanucksCore (@jcanuck2023.bsky.social) 2026-09-19T23:37:35.495Z
I don’t think the Canucks are going to go out of their way to populate their NHL roster with young players just for the sake of it. They already have a full roster on NHL contracts and things like waivers have to be taken into account (both adding and subtracting). If a young player or two like Braeden Cootes or Adam Novotny absolutely kicked the door down with incredible preseasons, perhaps they’d consider keeping them around. But even then, it’s more about what’s best for the player’s development at this stage of their young careers. As for stacking Abbotsford, I don’t think that’s anything that management ponders. So much of AHL success requires the NHL team to be healthy and not take the top players off the minor league roster. I think most AHL teams try to develop talent and grow as a group as the season unfolds and then hope it all comes together at playoff time. That’s certainly what happened for Abbotsford two seasons ago. The AHL Canucks went on a wild run down the stretch and entered the playoffs firing on all cylinders. And they rode that wave all the way to a Calder Cup title.
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Breaking News
- JPat’s Monday Mailbag: Have the Canucks put all the drama behind them as they begin their rebuild?
- The Zeev Buium extension was the first in what has to be a series of moral victories for the Canucks’ rebuild
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- Canucks’ Schenn feels ‘fortunate’ to play mentorship role on pairing with Buium
- Instant Reaction: Cootes and Bains click late as Canucks lose 4-2 to Kraken
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2027-28
2028-29
Projected Cap Hit
$72,303,333
$57,080,833
Projected Cap Space
$41,196,666
$65,919,166
Current Cap Space
$41,196,666
$65,919,166
Active Players
14/23
8/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1