Recent articles from Jeff Paterson

What does success look like this year? 70, 75, 80, 84 points? Top 3 Draft choice in '27? Demko plays 50 games?

6:09 PM · Jul 17, 2026

In no way will success be measured by a team point total. Let’s make that abundantly clear. It doesn’t matter if the Canucks amass 70 points or 75 or somehow crest 80 points. Next season is all about player development and, to a lesser degree, coaching development. So what does success actually look like? It looks like Zeev Buium and Tom Willander taking significant strides as NHL defencemen. It looks like Liam Ohgren taking his potential and levelling up to a point where he begins to impact hockey games. It looks like DPetey regaining the form he showed in his rookie season and being assertive physically on a nightly basis. It looks like Aatu Räty and Jonathan Lekkerimäki becoming mainstays in the lineup.

And if most of the above comes to pass, it means that Manny Malhotra and his newly assembled coaching staff have taken significant strides, too, in their first shot at coaching in the NHL. Through it all, success for the Canucks next season looks like a team that still has among the best odds to win the NHL Draft lottery next May.

No one has an appetite for another 58-point season. So there ought to be overall improvement in the on-ice record, and surely the Canucks need to be better than just nine home ice victories. That was pathetic last season. But as the club sets out on a rebuild, brace yourself for far more losses than wins. That part has to be accepted. The true lens to view the next couple of seasons through is the one that allows you to assess if the young players are getting better.

Regarding Shane wright…do you actually see 2 non contending division rivals making a trade like that?

— Joshuatree (@joshuatree007.bsky.social) 2026-07-17T18:10:30.858Z

The Shane Wright trade talk has cooled somewhat over the past week or so. But that doesn’t mean any potential deal is off the table. So we’ll see where things go on this file. But to answer the question as posed, absolutely. When two teams are at or near the bottom of the standings and miles away from contending, they both have to explore every avenue possible to improve their rosters. If that means dealing with a division rival, so be it. If the Canucks have a piece the Kraken value and there is a deal to be done, there is no reason those two teams shouldn’t pull the trigger. Is there a risk that a deal like that could come back to haunt one of the teams for years to come?

Indeed there is. But playing it safe because of the potential of failure is no way to manage a professional sports team. Both sides need to weigh their options and recognize the possible outcomes. Clearly, there is a reason that Shane Wright remains property of the Kraken. They haven’t found the right deal for them to this point. In recent years the Canucks have made trades with Edmonton, Calgary and San Jose. So why not Seattle, too? There are only 31 potential trade partners for any NHL team. It seems foolish to let geographic reasons limit the opportunities to get business done.

Danny Whittaker

@AnimalBeatDrums

Which AHLer will come up at some point have the biggest impact on the parent Canucks this season?

7:08 PM · Jul 17, 2026

My initial answer is Manny Malhotra, but he’s already been ‘recalled’. Besides, I don’t think that’s really the question you’re asking. So let’s examine the Abbotsford roster and look at the potential candidates. On the surface, there isn’t any one prospect that looks like he’s earmarked to start the season in the minors that appears to be ready to make an NHL impact. Some may say Braeden Cootes, but I am focusing on the word impact here.

I think it was pretty clear from his three-game cameo to start last season that the teen isn’t quite ready for prime time just yet. I suppose it’s possible that Jonathan Lekkerimäki needs AHL games to rehab his shoulder. So maybe it’s Lekkerimäki. Beyond him, you’re looking at Akil Thomas, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Matthew Stienburg who were all added on July 1st as free agent forwards. All have logged NHL games and are likely to be among the first recalls from the farm. On defence, Kirill Kudryavtsev might be the answer to this question.

Perhaps Jack Thompson gets a look or maybe Sawyer Mynio will earn his first NHL opportunity this season. And in goal, if Nikita Tolopilo clears waivers and is assigned to the AHL, then he has the potential to deliver when recalled. But I’ll go with Kudryavtsev as the Abbotsford Canuck that has the best chance to turn heads at the NHL level if/when he gets the opportunity. It feels like he’s ready for a run of games with the big club.

Benji

@BenjiCanuck

The Canucks are amazing and have a lot of young talent - what do you think happens first: Buium -> Norris Malhotra -> Hart Canucks -> Stanley cup BABY!!! Go Canucks!

11:31 PM · Jul 17, 2026

It’s the final week of July, which feels like a good time to play this game. Of the three options presented, I’m jumping in with both feet and going for the Stanley Cup. Why not? I like a lot of what I’ve seen from Zeev Buium, but the field for the Norris is so deep these days and with the likes of Lane Hutson and Matthew Schaefer just getting started in the NHL plus a handful of blue chip defence prospects drafted last month, it’s going to require a truly special season to win the Norris. It’s not a knock on Buium in any way, but I’m not sure he’s a potential Norris candidate. And with Caleb Malhotra, I’m not certain anyone is expecting him to work his way into the Hart conversation.

If he does, that’s incredible, and he will have exceeded every projection anyone had for him. But let’s slow the roll a little for a guy that has yet to play an NHL game. Obviously, the Canucks would love Buium and Malhotra to develop into top flight players at their positions. If they do, then the rebuild has probably taken shape. But two star level players won’t be enough. The Canucks need all sorts of prospects to pan out and perhaps even a few to overachieve. Dare to dream that it all comes together over the next five years. That’s why I think of the three scenarios offered up, I’m going to take a Stanley Cup title. Start planning that parade!

Shaun Osygus

@OzzyGoose

Do you believe there's any world where this team could be fighting for a playoff spot next year?

9:32 PM · Jul 4, 2026

No. I just don’t see it. In fact, I can’t even wrap my head around what it would look like on the ice for the Canucks to be in the mix for a playoff spot next spring. I suppose the most plausible path would be for Thatcher Demko to return to full health and regain his spot as one of the top netminders in the league. That would be a huge start.

From there, Elias Pettersson would need to revert to a star-level centre. The Canucks would need a couple of wingers to push 40-goal seasons. They’d likely require a top five power play and their penalty kill would need to jump from 32nd – and last – to the top third of the league. They’d need incredibly good fortune on the injury front. They’d have to demonstrate a defensive structure they just couldn’t achieve last season. And even if all those things somehow came together, I don’t know that the roster as assembled is better than eight other teams in the Western Conference.

I know you didn’t ask if they’d be a playoff team, merely whether they could fight for a playoff spot. Either way, I just think that’s asking far too much of a hockey club that still needs so much help.

Lorna Alvaro

@AlvaroLorna

Do you think they’ll keep 3 goal tenders on the roster?

8:46 PM · Jul 5, 2026