@patersonjeff With him being a UFA/ what contract would you think hes deserving of after seeing his start to this season? Also to add his last season performance.
JPat’s Monday Mailbag: What will it cost the Canucks to re-sign red hot Kiefer Sherwood to an extension?
Oct 20, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 20, 2025, 01:07 EDT
What a difference a week makes.
Last Monday, the Vancouver Canucks were licking their wounds after a second loss in three games to start the new National Hockey League season. Beyond that, legitimate questions were being asked about the way the team was playing, its lack of puck possession and a corresponding inability to create offence. Oh ye of little faith.
Fast forward seven days, and the Canucks are among the hottest teams in hockey, spreading their offence and getting the kind of difference-making netminding they figured they would get from one of the top tandems in the league.
Unfortunately, there are now injury issues that will need to be dealt with. And that will surely present some challenges. But with three straight wins, it feels like the Canucks have given themselves a baseline of success to work with as they head for Pittsburgh and Nashville to close out their five-game road trip.
While everyone awaits a Tuesday night Arty Party, we present another edition of the Monday Mailbag.
So, this has now definitely become a thing. If management wanted to take a wait-and-see approach to determine how Kiefer Sherwood was going to back up his 19-goal/462-hit season, he’s making quite the early statement.
On Sunday, Sherwood played a career-high 23:15, including a whopping – and team-high – 9:16 of the third period. He also scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season. He’s developed into a trusted penalty killer. And, of course, he leads the team with 28 hits through six games.
Sherwood deserves a raise. He’s definitely earned a raise, but there will always be concerns about offering both big money and term to 30-year-olds. If Sherwood has another season like last year, he’d probably be able to command something in the neighbourhood of 5 x $5M on the open market in an escalating cap world. But he’s only able to negotiate with the Canucks for the time being.
I wonder if the Canucks offered him the security of $24M over six years right now, would Sherwood sign on the dotted line? Or does he feel he can push his value further with the way he has started this season?
Mancini didn’t look out of place as Hughes’ partner yesterday. He added another dimension for Canucks defence. Hronek now has a chance in anchoring his own line. What do you think? Are the coaches going to keep him in the lineup?
It’s going to be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles the defence corps. Mancini saw just 6:56 of ice time in Washington (it must be noted he spent five minutes in the penalty box after his scrap with Brandon Duhaime). With P-O Joseph healthy and patiently waiting for his opportunity and Derek Forbort ready to come off IR any day now, Mancini is likely on borrowed time for this NHL call-up.
The Canucks don’t seem willing to play D-Petey and Mancini together as a pair on the road, where they can’t shelter the young duo. Despite the strong camp and preseason, Mancini still needs development time. Playing seven minutes – or sitting in the press box – isn’t in his best interest at this stage. So I’d rather see him logging big minutes in the AHL and growing his game to be ready for his next opportunity to step into the big league lineup.
How short of a leash do you think management has on the former Abby Trio for one or all of them get sent back down to the farm? Asking because I think all three deserve a long and serious look based on merit.
Based on the events of Sunday in Washington, I think all three will be here for a while.
It’s been a strong road trip for the line of Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson. Sasson has a pair of goals, Karlsson picked up an assist in Chicago, and Bains continues to use his speed and smarts effectively. All three look like they truly believe they belong in the NHL now.
Last season, I think all of them had their moments, but often seemed a little tentative and overwhelmed by the moment when recalled from the farm. It’s remarkable what a difference a year and an AHL championship run can make.
The line is spending the majority of its shifts in the offensive zone. Those three are reading off each other and creating scoring opportunities. Sasson’s speed is needed in the Canucks lineup. And Bains and Karlsson have both had a number of effective shifts in limited ice time.
Now, if any of the injuries sustained by teammates on Sunday are long-term, opportunity will continue to knock for the Abby line. And it feels like all three of them are ready to answer that call.
What is it going to take for Canucks to start games well? Falling behind constantly is no recipe for long-term success.
It must be pointed out that Ibraheem asked this question prior to Sunday’s 9:30 am puck drop in Washington. And then the Canucks went out and had easily their best start to a game. Maybe it was the funky start time. Maybe it was the group getting tired of playing catch-up after falling behind 2-0 in the previous four games. Maybe it was as simple as Elias Pettersson providing a spark with his first goal of the season less than a minute into Sunday’s game against the Caps. Whatever it was, hopefully the Canucks enjoyed it and can apply a similar approach in games moving forward.
Ibraheem is on the money when he says falling behind constantly is no blueprint for sustained success in the NHL. The comeback wins in Dallas and Chicago were great for the Canucks and demonstrated character and resolve. But it’s not something they can rely on routinely over the course of the season.
The Canucks need to be ready from the drop of the puck. They need saves from their goalies. If they get early power plays, they need to cash in. And ultimately, they need to stack shifts the way they did Sunday. They’ve seen it work now. They know it can be done. They just have to find ways to assert themselves more often early in hockey games. Of course, their opponent will have something to say about that, too.
How much leeway do we give management for the Kane trade as the early results look incredibly poor?
— Kevin in a Communist Land (@notoolkit.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T23:14:05.872Z
I think the answer is more than six games. While there have been some questionable turnovers and errant back passes from Kane, the bottom line is the Canucks are 4-2, and he has three points in those six contests. It’s hard to argue with either of those statistics.
Say what you want about the early results of the deal, the fact of the matter is the Canucks have outscored their opponents 6-1 with the veteran winger on the ice at 5-on-5 so far. An overcooked PDO of 113% is a huge part of that, to be sure. But for the most part, Kane has come as advertised. He’s brought a bit of snarl and edge to a group that needs it. He’s been able to chip in with some offence. And he’s had a few moments that make you shake your head. Get used to it. It will likely stay this way for Kane all season.
Certainly, he’d like to get his first goal as a Canuck sooner rather than later – and then a bunch more after that. All things considered, I’d say Kane has been just fine for the Canucks. But check in again after 12 games. And the 12 after that. And we’ll all have to wait to see how the season unfolds.
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