Canucks 25/26 Season Post Mortem and look ahead.

[theman]

Been waiting for it to become official but think it is close enough. Last overall for the first time in team history, I believe.

Obviously this season was a train wreck pretty much from start to finish. Season Grade: F

Trades:

Major Trades (2026 NHL Trade Deadline Period):

Quinn Hughes Traded: In a shocking December 2025 move, the Canucks traded captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for prospects Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 1st-round pick.

Conor Garland to Columbus: Traded to the Blue Jackets for a 2028 2nd-round pick and a 2026 3rd-round pick.

Tyler Myers to Dallas: Sent to the Stars in exchange for a 2027 2nd-round pick and a 2029 4th-round pick.

Kiefer Sherwood to San Jose: Traded for a 2026 2nd-round pick, a 2027 2nd-round pick, and defenseman Cole Clayton.

David Kämpf to Washington: Traded to the Capitals for a 2026 6th-round pick.

Lukas Reichel to Boston: Traded to the Bruins for a 2026 6th-round pick.

Grading the trades:

Quinn Hughes Trade: B+. I debated giving it an A- but decided not to due to not getting another draft pick back. Mine got the best player but Vancouver still got a very good package back. If the Canucks got Minny's 2026 2nd or 2027 1st with the rest of the package I would have given it a higher grade.

Connor Garland trade: B. If one of the picks was a 1st, it would have been an A. Guess this was the price for no retention, which is still valuable moving forward.

Tyler Myers trade: B. Read above but Vancouver did retain, albeit only for 1 more season.

Kiefer Sherwood trade: A. A+ if the Canucks had managed to get a 1st but they still got two very high picks from SJ. Looks like this year's 2nd will be around the 40th pick.

Kampft and Reichel trades: meh. Cs. The fact the got something for them was great but in Reichel's case, they gave up an high pick to acquire him.

Trades not made at the deadline:

Blueger and Kane. Blueger I get, if they re-sign him to a decent contract not trading him was fine, if not, poor asset management. Kane, WTF? Still can't believe they could not have traded him for a late round pick when the Canucks were willing to retain up to 50% (reportedly). Poor asset management when they gave up a 4th for him.


Moving forward (trades):

F Petey and DeBrusk. Hopefully they can move them this off season for decent packages. F Petey should be able to bring back another 1st and a good young player or prospect. DeBrusk just get him and his lazy play away from the young guys.



Looking ahead to the line up for next season, with cap hits:

Salary Cap: $104 Million
Current Cap hit: $74, 436, 000
Roster: 20/23. 2 UFAs and 1 RFA listed below not included in this number.

Forwards: $44.161, 42.5% of cap

(Numbers are in Millions)

F Petey - 11.6
Boeser - 7.25
DeBrusk - 5.25
Rossi - 5
Chytil - 4.437
Hoglander - 3
O'Connor - 2.5
Karlsson - 2.25
Sasson - 1
Oghren - .886
Raty - .775
Blueger - UFA
Douglas - UFA

Think they will re-sign both Blueger and Douglas so I included them. Douglas should be around league minimum. Blueger probably for a slight raise on a 2 year contract, hopefully.

Defence: $16,500,000, 15.8% of cap

Hronek - 7.25
M Petey - 5.5
Buium - .966
Willander - .95
Mancini - 1
D Petey - .838
Joseph - RFA

Only included Joseph because he is an RFA but I would not be surprised if they let him go. There has been talk, on this board, about bringing in Gudas on a 2 or 3 year deal and I like that as a way to add toughness and protect the young players a bit more. Good news is all of our young guys are signed for 1 more year. Bad news is they are signed for 1 more year and all need new contracts at the same time.

Goaltenders: $13,775,000 13.2% of cap

Demko: - 8.5
Lankinen: - 4.5
Tolopilo: - .775

Umm, where to start. If healthy, goaltending is not a concern but how likely is that? Also, I have always thought goaltending should take up no more than 10% of the cap. Try to unload 1 of Demko and Lankinen. I know: "Thanks Captain obvious."


Moving forward for the offseason:

TBH, I think the most important contract to ship out, with no retention(hopefully), would be Demko's. He just can not stay healthy, but of course, why would another team bring him in? He would be a perfect goalie for Edmonton, yuck, but, again, why would a team bring him in. I would be happy if the Canucks could get a mid/late pick for him, with no or minimal retention.That being said, Lankinen would probably be the easier player to ship out, if he would waive but why the fuck did management give him a NMC?

Also, think it is important even just for culture sake to move out both F Petey and Debrusk. Only reason to keep F Petey would be the hope that he meshes well with 1 of the new wingers from the draft or you are assuming (Canuck org) Chytil never plays again. TBH, I think the Canucks are banking heavily on landing either McKenna or Stenberg and hoping either of them could reignite a fire under F Petey's add. A lot to put on the shoulders on a rookie and really it should be F Petey helping them out instead of the other way around.

I would keep Boeser as I think he wants to be here and he seems to have meshed well with Rossi and Oghren. Keep Hronek, quality RD do not grow on trees, for now but probably ship him out for a good package in 2 years. I think D is okay moving forward even if they just sign a plug to be #7 and spot in now and then.

Management?

Not sure how much I believe the rumours of Alvin being let go. I also think Foote will be back for 1 year more, the tank just wouldn't be the same without him.

[Madcombinepilot]

yeah.. this offseason, I want to see them move on from the two guys who hinted (or the media stirred the shit on), that being DeBrusk, and M Petey. (both were rumored to 'not have signed up for this'). If they move on from 11.6EP - and find a top 30 center in the league to replace him, fine.

I agree to resign Blueger. He is a great 4C, and plays the same. We need a few veterans around.

Then go hunt a team that is looking to be over the cap (Ahem: Anaheim) and see if you can poach a top 6 forward somehow (Like McTavish) for some of our cheaper assets (Mancini, Hoglander, heck, I would even throw Raty into that - all 3 need a change as their development seems to have stalled here, and all 3 are cheap enough for Anaheim - just try and not give away draft picks is all).

Draft top 3,
move the 33 and 40(ish) seconds to move up and grab the Rucks back to back, use the our picks and the picks from Mpetey and Debrusk to reload the farm.. heck, we could potentially shave a year off the rebuild if we pulled that off and hit with Cootes and this years pick...

<edit>
Oh Fuck.. if the Baldies read this, and sell it to auqua man, they might keep thier jobs!

[Meds]

Yeah, I think I agree with most of that.

Players I wouldn't look to move this summer.....

Boeser - His apparent chemistry with Rossi and Ohgren of late, combined with him wanting to be here.....the latter is important.
Rossi - We need a 2C and over the past 15 games he has as many points as our 1C.....also see comment on Boeser.
Ohgren - Young and showing that he can handle the NHL game.....and hey, this is a Swede that Mëds is OK with, so he's gotta be a keeper, right?
Karlsson - Bottom 6 forward who puts in the work and has very good hands around the net (he's our Swedish Alex Burrows).
Hronek - Wants to be here, is a top pairing RHD on almost every team in the league. Enough said.
Buium - Young, promising top-4 D.
Willander - See Buium.

Not NHL regulars in the system.....

Cootes - I think this requires no justification.
Kudryavtsev - Seems to be doing well in the AHL, I'd like to see what he can develop into over the next 2 years rather than move on.
Medvedev - He's only 18 and definitely way too early to give up on considering we have no other young netminders of note in the cupboard.

The rest of the roster I could care less if they are back or not.

Wildcard thought.....

Evander Kane back on a $2Mx2. Would ya? For him to do that it would mean that he actually wants to play in his hometown, and while his season has been disappointing, I think it would have been less disappointing were his cap hit half of what it is. I also think his play hasn't been horrid considering the quality of the roster he's playing on.

[Cornuck]

Wildcard thought.....
Evander Kane back on a $2Mx2. Would ya? For him to do that it would mean that he actually wants to play in his hometown, and while his season has been disappointing, I think it would have been less disappointing were his cap hit half of what it is. I also think his play hasn't been horrid, considering the quality of the roster he's playing on.

Interesting thought. He obviously didn't live up to his contract this year, and he's likely pegged in on the 3rd line for next year if we keep him - and 4th line the following year. I'm also impressed that for all the drama this team has produced this year, his name hasn't come up much. I'm a little surprised by that - perhaps he's learned to be a pro now?

He got his 1000 games, and will get a nice celebration in front of his family and friends when he gets back to town. That might be a good time to discuss a hometown discount.

I'm not against this idea, but would have to see what UFAs are available that might have more upside at the same price.

[Madcombinepilot]

Wildcard thought.....
Evander Kane back on a $2Mx2. Would ya? For him to do that it would mean that he actually wants to play in his hometown, and while his season has been disappointing, I think it would have been less disappointing were his cap hit half of what it is. I also think his play hasn't been horrid, considering the quality of the roster he's playing on.

Interesting thought. He obviously didn't live up to his contract this year, and he's likely pegged in on the 3rd line for next year if we keep him - and 4th line the following year. I'm also impressed that for all the drama this team has produced this year, his name hasn't come up much. I'm a little surprised by that - perhaps he's learned to be a pro now?

He got his 1000 games, and will get a nice celebration in front of his family and friends when he gets back to town. That might be a good time to discuss a hometown discount.

I'm not against this idea, but would have to see what UFAs are available that might have more upside at the same price.

Regarding Kane, Rumor mill has it his teamates have loved him since he left W'Peg. I guess he grew up in San J and became an outstanding teammate in Edmonton..

so sayeth the rumors..

[Madcombinepilot]

Mëds, I agreee we are not in a rush to move on from Brock.

I have trouble with his +/- (career numbers), but I will say since this last TDD, he has actually won board battles, made plays and contributed. I will totally give him a pass for his first 2/3 of the season stats as he didn't have an NHL center to play with, or a winger who could get him the puck..

I would consider not moving him, Depending on his exit interview this year.

[Topper]

Monkeys with razor blades

[Carl Yagro]

1Kaner+ waterproof tracksuits available in the Canucks store.

[UWSaint]

Good post, theman.

This was obviously a train wreck of a season. Management had two goals heading into the year: do what it takes to get QH to sign on July 1 and fight for a playoff spot.

F on both scores.

The good news is that the train wreck was so bad that there’s no confusion from a “competitive season” in a year where multiple extremely flawed teams will be getting playoff spots in the west.

If you had to grade moves, I think you start with the ones that were designed for this season: a first for MP3, Lankinen resigned, Boeser signed, Garland extended, Demko extended, Silovs moved. All were bad moves—Garland might be a wash (counterfactual question is would he have gotten more as a pure rental, was the extension a liability or an asset when trading); and at least with Boeser; every rebuilding team needs a Boeser.

Those moves together with Kane and hiring Foote? F

Of the moves that were made on your list, it’s hard to say they did poorly. The QH trade really depends on Buium, and I can see Buium as Goesthbierre (or worse, Barrie) and I can see him develop as a top 10 defenseman. But I think it is always the case when trading for futures that the future is unknown, and that the quality of the assets returned was excellent, and that the timing of the trade was not too late.

I couldn’t care less about retaining on Myers. The cap floor is something they might have to actually keep an eye on for next season….

Heck until JR and Allvin are fired, it’s an F-.

[Cousin Strawberry]

It's so hard to project with Biuim. He's only 20 and has shown some pretty serious dazzle almost comparable to a 20 y/o QH43. I think Hughes had the separation gear already though but some of the lateral shake and bake he has shown should give pause for hope

[Tciso]

Wildcard thought.....
Evander Kane back on a $2Mx2. Would ya? For him to do that it would mean that he actually wants to play in his hometown, and while his season has been disappointing, I think it would have been less disappointing were his cap hit half of what it is. I also think his play hasn't been horrid, considering the quality of the roster he's playing on.

Interesting thought. He obviously didn't live up to his contract this year, and he's likely pegged in on the 3rd line for next year if we keep him - and 4th line the following year. I'm also impressed that for all the drama this team has produced this year, his name hasn't come up much. I'm a little surprised by that - perhaps he's learned to be a pro now?

He got his 1000 games, and will get a nice celebration in front of his family and friends when he gets back to town. That might be a good time to discuss a hometown discount.

I dunno what a discount for Kane would look like. If there really were no serious offers at the TDD, then the league isn't valuing Kane at $2million. I'd expect Kane will sign for about $1.5 mil this summer. I'd take him back, but it means that we can't find anybody better. It's not really a win-win, except it helps with the 2027 tankathon.

[UWSaint]

The nhl players you keep around or sign during bridge years should ideally serve more than one of the following purposes:

(1) You can trade them at the deadline for an asset
(2) They play a style of game you want your kids to emulate or are otherwise good models for young players to learn from
(3) related to (2), They help you develop players where they need to be — e.g., need to pump a guys tires and not start him in the d zone, get a center who can take draws; need to develop an offensive d who you don’t want to waste gas on the pk, make sure you have options for the coach to use for d on the pk; guy needs more time in the AHL? Make sure you have his position covered with “nhl” players; have a developing sniper who doesn’t create much on their own, make sure there’s someone approximating a playmaker on his line; want to encourage the D to press in the zone, make sure your forwards have decent IQ to read plays and know when to cover and when to stay a down low option.
(4) They help satisfy the unwritten gentleman’s rule to provide something that approximates an NHL product — e.g., if you have no penalty killers, get one, if you lack center depth get one.

The thing about Kane is that he shoots the puck. All the time. From anywhere. So if you are developing a shoot often and crash the net offense, that’s a good attribute to have, and it isn’t as common as you think, and Kane would be a good asset. But I don’t know if they are heading in the pucks fly crash net direction. And the thing is, if kane had zero trade value at $2.5 M (max retained) what will he have next deadline? I’m not against the player himself, but I think there will be a lot of options with a better chance of checking the above boxes than Kane.

[Meds]

On Kane…..

I think we need to take his time in Winterpeg and Buffalo out of our assessment.

It was posted here by someone a couple weeks back that Kane has been a popular teammate in both San Jose and Edmonton. If true, then maybe he finally grew up, just a bit late.

Therefore we look at his play alone.

Taking his age, historical skillset/production, and AA, into the equation, it’s probably easy to say that he underperformed this year by ~ 7G/10Pts.

However, when you look at the offensive quality of the team he is one this year in Vancouver, and contrast that with his previous teams in Edmonton and San Jose, well I think he’s right on par with his surroundings.

Kane has never been a play driver, he’s been a top-6 winger who hits, goes to the net, and has a good shot. He has also never been an enforcer, he’s been more of an agitator who is hard to push around. He has never been a guy whose jersey you would sew a “letter” on. He has never been known for his prowess in the defensive zone, but I neither have I heard of him being referred to as a liability there in recent years.

If he wants to stay in Vancouver, and if he’s been a decent guy in the room in what has been one of the most toxic seasons in team history, and you can get 30+ points out of him for $2.5M or less, (and consider that he has received only 1:35 PP/TOI per game this year) then I say you do it.

[Meds]

And the thing is, if kane had zero trade value at $2.5 M (max retained) what will he have next deadline? I’m not against the player himself, but I think there will be a lot of options with a better chance of checking the above boxes than Kane.

Do we know for a certainty that he had zero trade value?

It is entirely possible that the offers that came in were fourth round picks or less.

As has been pointed out, darts thrown at the board after the second round have a very high chance of doing absolutely nothing but hit the floor.

I will confess to not having watched much this year at all, but I’m curious who Kane was often deployed with. Leading up to the trade deadline no cannot had much value after the trade deadline. There was a resurgence from some, most notably, Boeser, Rossi, and Ohgren, while they were our second line in name with scooter centring the top unit they were the ones producing. Was Kane riding shotgun with Petey or was he more often on the third line?

I don’t have a problem with a management team that lets the occasional veteran stay in their home city to finish out the last few months of their existing contract when the only offered return for that player is not really much of a return at all. I lean more towards overlooking this sort of decision if the management team has a plan to bring that player back in a veteran support role the following year.

[Madcombinepilot]

Kane is the fastest man alive when he is on a breakaway, and skates uphill on the backcheck

But I agree with Mëds on his value to the team.