2026 Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have certainly given their fans things to feel good about this summer. But is it enough to get them out of the league’s basement?
The Vancouver Canucks have only made the playoffs twice in the last decade and are currently riding a two year playoff drought. This season wasn’t their worst in the last 10 years, but it was without question a close second. After a successful draft and naming a new head coach—with a big connection between those two things—could this season be the start of a promising new era?
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 25-49-8
It's never ideal to finish the season with just 58 points, especially when it doesn’t result in the first overall draft pick the following year. The Canucks were doomed from the start as they couldn’t score, couldn’t keep the puck out of their net, and once they traded Quinn Hughes, it was all systems go toward a full blown rebuild. How long of a rebuild process it will be remains to be seen.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
Did the Canucks get better or worse as a result of their offseason moves? None of these additions or subtractions are true game changers by any stretch. Evander Kane remains an unrestricted free agent today, and that should tell you all you need to know about where he’s at at this point in his career. Teddy Blueger is a great bottom-six center, but his talents aren’t going to do very much for the Canucks at this stage. Nils Hoglander absolutely needed a change of scenery, so good for him.
In terms of what they got, Vancouver dealt Marcus Pettersson to the Rangers and opted to sign Jamie Oleksiak on the open market. Pettersson is absolutely the better player of the two, but a team like Vancouver isn't worried about winning and doesn't need to over analyze something as minor as who is their fourth most important defenseman. They bring Luke Schenn back to act as a veteran 6th/7th defenseman, which is fine business for a team in need of leadership.
Speaking of leadership, Brendan Gallagher is probably their most important move of the offseason. When you’re going through a rebuild, you need guys in the room the young players can look to, and that’s exactly what they’re getting in Gallagher. He's a guy that’s been through it all, wants to be there, and can lead in more ways than one. Lastly, Paul Cotter plays a similar style of game as Gallagher, at least in his prime, which is another solid addition for a team that needs to squeeze juice out of their lineup wherever they can.
