In a season full of disappointments and apathy starting to set in with the fan base, there have been few Vancouver Canucks who have actually taken their game to the next level.

Filip Hronek has established himself as a top defenceman since his long-time partner Quinn Hughes was traded. Drew O’Connor set a career-high in goals. But what’s been the most impressive has been watching Linus Karlsson develop into an everyday NHL player.

Not only has he become a lineup regular, but he’s also been a top-five scorer on the team, with 15 goals tied for fourth and 35 points placing him fifth in team scoring. Doing so while averaging under 13 minutes per game as a rookie. In fact, his 35 points have him 24th all-time in Canucks rookie scoring, one point ahead of Daniel Sedin (34) and six over Henrik (29).

Looking back at the last 12 months for Karlsson, it’s been a whirlwind. The Swede leads the entire Calder Cup playoffs in goals (14) – five clear of the next best – and points (26) – two more than linemate Arshdeep Bains. Karlsson’s 14th goal late in the second period would stand as the Calder Cup-winning goal. Little did he know that it would be the last goal he would score in the AHL.

In what should have been a summer full of celebrating the AHL Championship, Karlsson went back to Sweden and trained over the offseason with his eyes clearly set on making the next career jump to the NHL. Fast-forward to training camp, where he told CanucksArmy, “It’s time to make that roster.” And while it didn’t start that way, as he was a healthy scratch for the first three games,

All of those points and accolades are how I presented the conversation to Karlsson before asking him to reflect on everything he has accomplished lately. To which Karlsson was taken aback as he reminisced on his last few months.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re still in season. So, I haven’t really thought about it that much,” Karlsson told CanucksArmy. “But when you say it like this, of course, I’m really proud of how I have played this season. How I grinded all these years to take a spot and play in the NHL. I mean, when you hear like that, that’s of course something I’m really proud of. So, I mean, I’m probably gonna think about it more in the summer, like how I played and everything like that. But of course, I’m really proud.”

I then read some of Karlsson’s quotes back to him from our conversation at training camp about what he needs to do to make the NHL team, and asked whether he believes he’s done that and improved in the categories he spoke about. Here are his answers:

Preseason quote: “I think I can play wherever. I can be a gritty player, strong on the walls, be a good net front guy. I mean, I can play whatever they want me to play. I’m just trying to fit in and try to find a spot for myself there.”

Question: Do you think you’ve found that spot, and what is that spot?

End of season answer: “Yeah, I think they have used me for a lot of different situations. I played on the fourth line, played on the third line, played on the second line, played in the first line. I’ve played everywhere. And that’s what kind of play I am. I think I can help top players to give them some more space and be strong on pucks and good on the walls. I can also be a grinder on the fourth line, too. Get pucks down deep and keep it down there and get some fresh bodies in there, too. That’s kind of exactly what I wanted. Yeah, that’s funny you said that, because I think that’s pretty much what I’ve done this year, too. Like, I’ve proved I can play kind of everywhere up and down the lineup, and be an option everywhere. Like, first power play couple games; second power play unit, too. So, of course, I’m happy with that.”

Preseason quote: “I’m just gonna try to be the player they want me to be.”

Question: What kind of player was that? And do you feel you accomplished that?

End of season answer: “Yeah, I think I wanted to be great along the walls. I’ve always been good along the walls and be strong on the puck. And I think that’s what they really liked in the beginning. And then I showed more qualities that I had that maybe they didn’t really know I had. But I think wall plays, going to the net, and be strong on pucks, that’s something I really did well. I think that’s why they didn’t take me out of the lineup either, because I think I’ve been really consistent with that.”

Preseason quote: “My skating has always been a little bit of a problem, but I think I’ve improved it last year, and I feel [it’s] even stronger this year. I just tried to work really hard to get that edge in my skating.”

Question: How has your skating progressed throughout the season?

End of season answer: “That’s also something I worked hard on during the summer, and I mean, I feel faster. I feel like that’s not a big issue anymore. Maybe the first year I played in the NHL, maybe that was a little bit of an issue. But, I mean, I think it’s also about smartness. You don’t always need to be the fastest, either; you can be good at other stuff to make it. I’m probably never going to be the fastest guy out there, but I can still work at it. And I think I’ve done a good job on that, too.”

Preseason answer: “I talked a lot to Sedins. They want me to be the same player. I think the last 10 games last year, when I played up [in Vancouver], I think I played probably my best hockey. I had really good games, and I got some confidence from that, and brought down to the playoffs in Abby.”

Question: You said you talked to the Sedins a lot coming into the year. Now that you’ve been in Vancouver all year, you get to see them a lot more. How has that relationship grown? And how much more have they taught you now at the NHL level?

End of season answer: “I mean, they have been great. I always ask them to show me some clips where they think I can do better. And sometimes they just give me some good clips too. Like, sometimes you just need to see, like, ‘Oh, you’re doing this so well,’ and get some confidence from that. I think they’re really good at finding a way [to explain], ‘Keep doing this, or maybe you can do this in this situation, and what else I can do,’ and that’s helped me, for sure. It’s a lot of video and a lot of talk behind the scenes.”

Before my conversation with Karlsson, I spoke with another notable netfront talent, Jake DeBrusk, about the growth he’s seen in the Swede’s game this season:

“Yeah, he’s gotten better,” DeBrusk told CanucksArmy. “I mean, obviously, coming off that playoff, I know it’s like coming off a playoff push. When you have a good one, when you come into camp, you’re ready to go, you have the utmost confidence and everything. …When you’re playing with [Karlsson], you know he’s in the front of the net, kind of like me in some ways. He was one of the first guys I noticed when I first came here, that he doesn’t know how good he is in front of the net. Now he’s starting to feel it. And, you know, obviously, in your full negatives, it’s hard to write positive things, but he’s definitely a positive and a guy that’s been grinding his whole career pretty much in Abby hit his stride.”

I shared DeBrusk’s praise with Karlsson as a lead-up to his previous quote, to which he was very appreciative: “That’s a big compliment,” Karlsson said. “I really appreciate that. He’s probably the best in the room at finding those spots. So to hear that he says that, I’m really happy about that.”

Preseason answer: “All my goals I score around the net. That’s my like, what they say over here ‘bread and butter’, you know? So, I mean, that’s something I want to bring, and I can bring that too. I think they need that. They want hard drives to the net, and that’s what I do.”

Question: What has led to that success at the net front? I know you were good at it in Abbotsford, but the NHL is different, right? There are bigger, stronger guys guarding the front of the net, and you’re still finding ways to find your space.

End of season answer: “Yeah, you don’t always have to be the strongest either. Like, you can be smart. Sometimes you have to get under the D-man. Sometimes you can be in front of the D-man to tip the puck. Like, you have to find those soft areas where you think the rebound is gonna end up. Is it gonna be like, back door or in another spot? I don’t think you need to be strong or you need to cross-check guys around the net. Like, that’s not a good net front guy. I think you have to be smart, you have to read where the puck is probably going to come and find those areas.

“That’s what Jake is really good at, too. He finds those areas that the puck gonna land and just puts it in the net. And it’s not luck. He’s always scored those goals, right? I feel like it’s kind of the same with me, like in Sweden when I played there, and in Abbotsford, like that’s where I score the most of my goals. It’s not luck; it’s something I really work at too.”

His netfront work and 6’1″, 179-lb frame have earned him consistent time on the second power play unit for the majority of the season. However, most of his success toward his 35-point season has come at 5v5. Karlsson leads the entire Canucks team with 29 5v5 points, five clear of O’Connor with 24. There’s a lot less room on the ice at 5v5, but tight areas are where Karlsson excels:

“Oh, that’s hard. I don’t know,” Karlsson shared when asked what’s leading to his 5v5 success.” But I think I’m strong on pucks, I keep it in the O-zone. I think I spend a lot of time in the ozone, and eventually the puck goes in. Maybe I’m not making the plays up high in the O-zone. I’m more like a down-low player. And I mean, this year, the puck is finding my stick. And also, I think I made some good plays down there, too. I knew before I came in here that I could do it. So I mean, of course, it’s nice to see those points coming. It’s something I’m really happy about.”

The previous 12 months will be a career highlight that he will look back on as fond memories for a lifetime. Not only finishing as the leading scorer on a Championship team, but scoring the Calder Cup game-winning goal. Then, turning that into an opportunity to make it to the NHL, and once he was given that opportunity, he did not let it go to waste. And his work rate and efforts from this season alone have earned him a two-year, $4.5 million contract.

Looking back at everything he’s accomplished, what would April 2026 Karlsson tell September 2025 Karlsson?

“That I’m really proud of how I took this challenge and how I grinded. I mean, I was scratched for the first three games, and you start thinking, like, ‘oh, what’s going on? What do they think?’ And then I got one game, and it was one of the best games I played in Dallas. And since then, I haven’t been out of the lineup. So of course, that’s awesome. I’m really proud of that. Unfortunately, the season is what it is, but yeah.”

To quote preseason Karlsson for the final time: “I’m just trying to show them that they can’t take me out of the lineup. That’s just my goal. Like, it’s time to make that roster, now.”

Well, once Karlsson got into the lineup in Game 4 of the season against the Dallas Stars, he proved he deserved to be in the lineup night in and night out. And tonight, Karlsson will play his 79th consecutive game. Safe to say that it was certainly his time to make that roster.