April 13th, 2025
JC Clemas
There’s really no other way around it: this season was an absolute travesty for the Vancouver Canucks.
One season after winning the Pacific Division with 109 points, the Canucks seem like they’re going to end this year ~20 points behind that mark.
I’ll go into the horrors of the season a little later into this week, but for right now, I want to point out the positives that came out of this season. Even though it felt like it, the season wasn’t all completely terrible! Here are some bright spots from an otherwise failure of a season:
Quinn Hughes is only getting better
If you had to pick just one positive thing to appreciate from this season, it’s Quinn Hughes.
Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in the 2023-24 season.
In the first half of this season, he was actually BETTER.
Hughes was the beating pulse of this Canucks team. The only reason they aren’t in the lottery right now is because of his play prior to February. Sadly, his second stint of missed time in the season was the result of an injury that he couldn’t really play through, but he did anyway, for the last part of the season. Hughes fought through injury for half the season. He made sure to be on the ice any time he wasn’t about to crumble into pieces physically. That’s pretty much the exact type of dedication you would want from your captain.
In the early goings of the year, when he was healthy, Hughes was unstoppable. Hockey fans who actually stay up for West Coast fans would likely agree that he was a Hart front-runner for the first half of the season. Anybody with a brain knows that he was in the lead to repeat as the Norris winner. Before his first time missing games this season, Hughes racked up 42 points in 34 games. Especially impressive when you remember the only help he was really getting was from Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk.
Probably the most interesting statistic to come out of this season for the Canucks is Quinn Hughes’ relative expected goals percentage (via MoneyPuck). The stat shows the difference between a team’s xG% when a certain player is on the ice and the team’s xG% when he’s off the ice. Quinn’s was 23.3%. The Canucks only managed a 37.5 xG% without Hughes on the ice this season, meaning they got dominated in terms of shot quality and chances. His number in this statistic was 1st in the league by a solid 2%. The funniest part? Earlier in the season, he was at 28%.
With 2 games left in the season, Hughes stands at 75 points in 66 games played. When you factor in the fact that he’s been dealing with injury problems since around Christmas and hasn’t had much help this season, that is absolutely ridiculous. We are so lucky to have a player like Quinn Hughes on our team. If he plays out the rest of his career with the Canucks, he will undoubtedly go down as the best player to ever play for Vancouver. He’s already just 1 point away from Alex Edler’s all-time franchise record for points by a defenseman… in 494 fewer games. With a bounce-back year from the team around him, we could be looking at a 100-point defenseman on our hands next season. But before I get ahead of myself, get some rest, Quinn. You’ve earned it.
Pius Suter’s career year, and the penalty kill
In the 2023 offseason, the Canucks were in need of a 3rd line centre. It took them all the way until August 11th, but they finally found one: Pius Suter.
Suter was coming off his 3rd year in the NHL. In each of his first two seasons, he was just under a half a point-per-game. The Canucks lucked out when his third season’s production dipped. He put up 24 points in 79 games, and Vancouver was able to sign him to a 2-year contract worth just $1.6 million per season.
I think they got their money’s worth.
The 2023-24 season was Suter’s first as a Canuck. It was a successful one. His production wasn’t particularly high, at 29 points in 67 games, but he bolstered the forward depth and was an important piece of the Canucks’ march to the playoffs. In the playoffs, he scored one of the most memorable goals in recent franchise history, scoring a series-winning ice-breaker with just over a minute left in game 6.
That season pales in comparison to what Suter accomplished this season, though.
While almost every other forward’s production levels faltered this season, Suter stepped up big-time. He has shattered his career highs, scoring 24 goals and 45 points in 79 games. After the injuries to Pettersson and Chytil, Suter was thrust into the 1C role for the final stretch of the season. Who could have guessed that he would actually produce like a 1C? Suter has 11 points in his 10 games as the 1st line centre, which might have just earned him even more of a price increase on his next contract.
Along with the offense, Suter has been a key piece of the Canucks penalty kill this season. He’s a huge reason why the Canucks PK has gone from dead last in the league a couple seasons ago to 2nd in the league this season. The shorthanded play really kept the team afloat at certain points in the season. More recently, it seemed like they would never ever concede another power play goal again. The Dallas game kind of ruined that theory, but it was worth it for the comeback (in which Suter scored twice).
Has Suter priced himself out of Vancouver? Very likely, yes. But that doesn’t discount what he’s accomplished in his past two seasons. Whatever contract he receives this summer, he deserves. His defensive abilities are some of the best among the league’s forwards, and he can add 40 points. Any contender will want that kind of guy. We’re lucky to have only paid him $1.6 million.
Kiefer Sherwood is a menace
Pius Suter was certainly a surprise from this Canucks season, but there was no bigger surprise than Kiefer Sherwood.
Before his 2023-24 season with Nashville, Sherwood had played 186 of his 305 professional hockey games in the AHL. Nashville gave him a chance to play a full season in the NHL last year. He made the most of it, scoring 27 points in 68 games. That earned him a 2 year, $1.5 million AAV contract with the Canucks. To say he’s lived up to that would be an understatement.
First and foremost, his physicality is what will stand out when we look back years down the road. He has etched his name into the history books, shattering the all-time single-season NHL hits record. With 449 hits (and counting), Sherwood has eclipsed the mark set last season by then-teammate Jeremy Lauzon by over 60. There were more games this season where Sherwood had 10 hits than 0. Most players go their whole careers without touching 10 hits in a game once. Quinn Hughes has had 13 hits all season.
You would think that a guy who breaks the hits record by that much wouldn’t be adding much more. You would be wrong to think that. Sherwood has put up 40 points this season, just 9 points behind the team lead for forwards. 19 of those are goals, including 3 coming from a hat trick against Colorado in one of the best individual single-game performances the Canucks got this season. We will never forget the time when Kiefer Sherwood stripped MacKinnon of the puck and burned Makar to score short-handed.
Sherwood was also a part of the second penalty-killing unit and at times saw himself on the second power play unit. He was all over the lineup, often bringing out the best in players (especially most recently with Räty and Joshua). He gave the Canucks some much-needed grit. It’s a shame that we won’t get to see him play for our side in the playoffs this year because his hitting ability could have paid dividends for the team. Maybe next year.
Before the season started, I wrote an article introducing the new players and giving my predictions for their season. While I was off on the point total (I predicted 28 from Sherwood), my other prediction was that he would become a solidified fan-favourite. I was right about that one. His energy gave the Canucks life at some very dead parts of the season. It was impossible to miss him on the ice. Thank goodness we signed him for two years because I fear for what this season would have gotten him in free agency.
Youthfulness and the future
Out goes 32-year-old JT Miller; in comes 25-year-old Filip Chytil, 22-year-old Victor Mancini, and a draft pick. Out goes 29-year-old Danton Heinen, and in comes 26-year-old Drew O’Connor. Out goes 28-year-old Daniel Sprong, and in comes an assortment of young AHLers shuffling around in his spot. Out goes 30-year-old Carson Soucy, and for the better.
Every move the Canucks made this season made the team younger. While in some cases (particularly Miller), it made the team look worse on paper in the short run, this season was a time to build for the long run.
The Canucks front office has committed to a youthful look. They knew they couldn’t tear it down completely or else Quinn Hughes would be out the door, so they began a retool. They have expressed their desire to acquire a young 2nd line centre who can grow with the team’s core. It’s nice that they have a direction they’re aiming for.
The most intriguing part of this youthfulness was the opportunities that different AHL guys got in the league this season. Aatu Räty, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Linus Karlsson, Nils Åman, Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains, Elias Pettersson, Victor Mancini and even Ty Mueller all got chances to prove themselves in the NHL this season, providing hope that some can step into full-time NHL roles next season.
Giving these guys NHL experience, particularly Räty, Lekkerimäki, and Pettersson, is huge for the future. Especially for next year, they’ve gotten their feet wet in the show and should be able to help the team be competitive next season. Those three are the particular ones who will be interesting to watch at the NHL level next year, as it can tell a lot about what their long-term role on this team is. Räty is currently an RFA, so they have to work on that, but I’m confident they’ll get it done.
Beyond the very young guys, the rest of the team is quite young as well. Teddy Blueger and Sherwood are the only Canuck forwards in their 30s. The defense only has Myers over 30 (maybe Forbort, too, if he’s re-signed). The Canucks’ core is all in their 20s. Höglander is 24. Hughes is 25. Pettersson is 26. Hronek is 27. DeBrusk is 28. Garland is 29. I’m not sure why I’m counting up right now.
The point is that their main players all have a lot more productive years left in them, meaning that they’re not even close to “win now” mode. There’s no urgency for this team yet, so they can just relax and play their game. Besides 35-year-old Tyler Myers. He probably wants to win now.
Locker room issues are resolved, and the rise of the Petterssons
The biggest reason why this season’s Canucks team didn’t work is because of the issues that were happening in the locker room. Though the Miller/Pettersson issue was likely blown out of proportion to some extent, it’s clear that their rift took its toll on the rest of the team. Quinn Hughes, Rick Tocchet, and Patrik Allvin all spoke out about it, meaning that the disagreements were not simply created by the media.
If you didn’t notice, JT Miller is not ending the season as a Vancouver Canuck. On January 30th, the Canucks sent him to the Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 1st round draft pick. That 1st was then flipped along with Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor.
Not only did the Miller trade mean the team lost a player that was at the forefront of their chemistry issues, but they also added a clear locker room leader in Pettersson. His positive impact on the team is quite obvious, as it didn’t take very long into his Canucks tenure to receive the ‘A’ on the front of his jersey. Beyond what he’s done for morale, his on-ice play has also been an improvement to the team. The Canucks severely needed another top-4 defenseman. Immediately after adding Marcus Pettersson, their play was more stable in the minutes where Quinn Hughes was off the ice.
Another issue the team saw was their perceived “softness.” There were many times when the team would fail to stand up for their own guys, which opponents took advantage of. Trading away Carson Soucy, JT Miller, and Vincent Desharnais got rid of some of the grit in the locker room. Fortunately, that problem seems to be getting better, too.
Kiefer Sherwood has been physical but isn’t really a fighter. Joshua has been fighting less now than he had last season, though he’ll probably get back to it. The real player who has provided confidence that the Canucks can be a gritty team is Elias Pettersson, the defenseman.
In Colorado a couple of games ago, Elias Pettersson answered the bell against Logan O’Connor for his first career NHL fight. Though this may be Canucks bias kicking in, it appeared that D-Petey got the better of LOC. That could be a huge moment for the team going forward. When Pettersson exited the penalty box, he was welcomed with smiles, stick taps and appreciation from his coach. Had to feel good.
There’s no predicting whether the team is going to be okay morale-wise now, but all signs point to the situation being solved. Losing Boeser is likely to be a hit to that cause. The room is full of great guys, though. They have shown the ability to be a tight group in the past, and hopefully, they won’t hit any more speed bumps. If the issues finally disappear for good, they can put their heads down and focus more on the on-ice play.
The Canucks have 2 more games to go through. They face off against the Sharks tonight at 7 Pacific and then finish off the season against Vegas on Wednesday at the same time. There’s not much left to hope for in these games, but I suppose you may as well finish strong and try to gain some team morale for next season. The main thing to watch for is Kiefer Sherwood’s bid for a 20-goal season (just one more). Then, we get to rest and watch some non-stressful playoff hockey. Hopefully, we’ll be in the dance next year.