How Good Will the Canucks Be This Season?

How Good Will the Canucks Be This Season?

How good are the Vancouver Conucks really going to be this year? In this video, I’ll break down the biggest questions facing the team, the players I’ll be watching closely, and at the end, I’ll tell you exactly where I think they’ll finish in the standings. It all starts with Elias Person. Can he become that 100point guy again? That was the worst season of his career. It’ll never happen again. I think he’s focused. I think he’s ready to show that what he did last year is not what he’s about. all the nonsense last year weighed on him heavily from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint, but he’s a really competitive person. So, I expect him to have a great year because I just think he’s a really good player. He wants to be used in an important role. I think Adam Foot will rely on him and uh I’m looking for a big bounceback year from him. Look, everybody has their take on Elias Patterson, but the reality of the situation is pretty simple. If he doesn’t bounce back, the Canucks are in big trouble. But if he does, they’ve got an elite superstar leading their forward group again. It’s one or the other. As for what I expect to happen, I mean, just look at his track record. Pety’s been playing hockey at an elite level for nearly a decade at this point. At 18 years old, he was setting records in the Swedish Hockey League as a rookie. At 19, he cracked the Canucks opening night lineup and scored his first career goal 6 minutes into his first NHL game and then went on to put up another 15 points in the 10 games that followed. In 2023, he became just the sixth player in franchise history to score 100 points in a single season, and he was only 24 when he did that. I’m not going to deny the fact that he just wasn’t himself last year. But worst season of his career or not, 457 points in 471 games is nothing to scoff at. That’s elite production. And he’s only 26. You could argue that he hasn’t even hit his prime yet. I fully expect Elias Person to have a dominant bounceback season, especially now that all the noise from last year is behind him. Vancouver has talent, but they need calm. The fact that their season went so so unbelievably shitty and they still hit 90 points. Come on. There was so much drama around the team last year that that it that it took away from from their objectives and and I don’t think anybody would argue with that. Obviously, you want to say you’re looking forward to the year and everything’s behind you, but you’re still like I mean, a lot happened and you’re disappointed. That never goes away. I feel like this is a year where the Canucks have to do their talking on the ice and the discussion has to be about them on the ice. Last year was supposed to be a step forward, but instead it turned into a season dominated by drama. The tension between JT Miller and Elias Person became the story line, and in my opinion, it was the single biggest reason the Canucks failed to build on the momentum they had. However, it’s been nearly 6 months since that abysmal season ended. The speculations, the rumors, the fingerpointing, all of it seems to have finally quieted down. The vibes are positive heading into the new season, and for the first time in a while, it actually feels like the focus is on hockey. But it needs to stay that way. This year cannot turn into another circus. The players, the coaching staff, and the management all need to do their part to make sure the conversation stays on the ice and not on whatever might be happening behind the scenes. Because even though last season’s distraction is gone, there’s already a new storyline creeping in and it revolves around their captain. Without Quinn Hughes, I don’t know where the Vancouver Conucks could have been last year. The Hughes thing will be a big talking point, but he can’t even sign until next summer. So, there’s not much you can really say about that. Quinn’s not the one making any noise. You know, Quinn has one focus, and that’s go to Vancouver, play elite hockey, and try to lead them to the playoffs. I don’t get the panic. It’s too early for me to feel like, oh no, I don’t even think it’s a big deal. You got to hope that Quinn Hughes wants to stick around and you got to sort of sell him on it. At the end of the day, he’s either going to stay or he’s going to go. I know he’s had a lot of great years in Vancouver and he still likes it there and and wants to have a big year there. I mean, that’s his number one focus is to lead Vancouver back to the playoffs. That’s where his mindset’s at. So, do we have a chance to keep this guy? I’ll answer that with my actions next summer. I want him to come out and say, “I don’t want to leave. I’m staying here. Brothers would certainly want to play together, I would think, at one point in their careers, if that’s at all possible. Anything can change. If we have a terrible year, that’s probably not going to be very fun. But if we have a terrific year, that’ll be really fun. Like two years ago was really, really fun. So So if it’s not fun this year, but it’s fun the following year, then he stays or he goes, does he need two fun years? What I What is it? The Canucks cannot let Quinn Hugh’s future become this year’s distraction. So, to all the people talking about it, stop. Quinn’s made it very clear that his number one focus right now is leading this team back to the playoffs, and that sounds pretty good to me. So, let’s let him focus. I understand that his contract situation is looming, and I fully expect some of the headline hunting, click starving media members to bring that up after every Canucks lost this season. But when it comes to us, the nuckheads, let’s chill out a bit. Don’t click the headlines. Don’t engage with the haters. If you see Quinn Hughes wearing a different team’s jersey in the thumbnail of a YouTube video, don’t watch it. And while you’re at it, maybe report it for bullying. Quinn Hughes is a kuck, and that’s awesome. Now, I do believe that if they want to keep him around longterm, this season being a successful one would really help them in that endeavor. And the biggest reason to believe that’s possible is simple. Goenders, this is, I think, the strength of the team. Thatcher Demco says he’s healthy and that changes the game for the Canucks. You have Thatcher Demco and Kevin Lankanin both at the prime in their careers 29 and 30 for less than 10 million bucks. Demco back healthy is only going to help. We saw what Lan can do. That’s one of the top tandemss in the NHL. When Thatcher Demco is healthy, he’s one of the best in the world. Plain and simple. He gives the team a chance to win every single night. And if he can stay healthy, that’s going to be huge for the Canucks this year. Then there’s Kevin Len, the tank Lankin, a guy nobody saw coming. He stepped in when Demco went down last season and did an excellent job. In fact, he’s one of the main reasons the Canucks weren’t a complete disaster. And actually, the fact that Lankin had to carry such a heavy load last season is probably going to end up being a blessing in disguise. The team got comfortable playing in front of him, and that chemistry matters. The Canucks now have two goalenders who know this roster well, and vice versa. If Lankin can pick up where he left off and Demco can stay healthy, this might just be the best tandem in the NHL. And speaking of staying healthy, Keedle. Heedle says he’s healthy now. They want him to stay healthy. He has to be that second line center for this plan to work. Heedle at second line center is what scare the heeie-jeebies out of me. Going from JT Miller to Philip Heedle, even at Heedle’s best is a downgrade. All throughout the off season, they’ve been trying to get a second line center. Unless Rutherford and Meline pull something out of their hat that we’re not seeing, the answer to that number two question is probably internal. Philip Hedel is set in that role right now and it looks like that’s what’s going to happen. If Hedel can stay healthy and get back to playing his game, he can be a very effective forward. He can be a second line center. The Canucks spent the entire off season looking for a true second line center and they came up empty. That leaves Philip Heedle who, let’s be honest, is a gamble. At his best, he’s shown flashes of being a capable top six guy, but he’s also been inconsistent and pretty injuryprone. That’s not exactly the kind of resume that fills you with confidence when you’re trying to compete in a very competitive Pacific division. And it’s not just about whether Hedel can stay healthy. It’s also about what happens if he doesn’t. The drop off behind him is steep. And the last thing this team can afford is another derailed season. That said, I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. Hedel has the talent to make this work, and he’s going to be given every opportunity to prove that. The Canucks don’t need him to carry the offense. They just need him to hold down that spot so the rest of the lineup can fall into place. And if he can do that, it’ll make the team a lot harder to play against. He doesn’t have to be JT Miller. He just has to be reliable, consistent, and healthy. If a Vander Kane is healthy a Vander Kane, he’s still very effective and he’s going to be a pest in the playoffs. Every time he’s gone to a new situation, he’s done well instantly. He’s going to make a huge difference. If someone’s pushing Person around, he’s going to get in there and fight him or throw a big hit at some point. If they’re going to get back in the playoffs, they can’t just rely on Quinn Hughes. They are to me a very question mark team that if everything goes right, they got one of the best D. They have a fantastic goalie. Py could be good. They’ve got guys. They could be good. Can also see this one going the other way. Now, before I reveal where I think the Canucks will finish in the standings, there’s a lot more I could dig into. the Evander Kane trade, the hiring of new head coach Adam Foot, who cracks the opening night roster, my thoughts on Braden Coots. So, if you want to hear my thoughts on all of that and more, tune in to a brand new episode of the Nuckad podcast dropping this Friday first thing in the morning. And while we’re on topic, here’s what you can expect from the Nuckad channel this season. My regular content, the game recaps you’ve grown to love or hate, will come out every Wednesday. Then, as I already alluded to, new episodes of the Nuckad podcast will be released on Friday mornings. And finally, tune in this Sunday to watch the first episode of a brand new series I’m starting. So, Wednesday game recaps, Friday podcasts, Sunday new series. Got it? Cool. Now, let’s get weird. All right. So, where do I think the 2026 Vancouver Conucks will finish this season? Well, I’ve crunched the numbers, done hours of research, discussed it with professionals, and well, I have my answer. Not only do I firmly believe with all of my heart and brain that we’ll see the whale team back in the playoffs this season, I think they’re going to finish second in the Pacific Division. Sorry haters. To hear more about how I came to this conclusion, tune in to this Friday’s episode of the Nuckad Podcast. Thanks for watching. Bye. [Music]

Welcome to Season 3 of Nuckhead!

In this video I break down the biggest questions facing the Vancouver Canucks heading into the 2025/2026 season and give you my official prediction for where they’ll finish in the standings.

From Elias Pettersson’s bounce-back potential, to Quinn Hughes’ shaky future in Vancouver, to the dynamic duo of Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen between the pipes, to Filip Chytil’s health at second-line centre, etc.

Here’s what you can expect from the Nuckhead channel this year:
– Game Recaps every Wednesday
– New episodes of The Nuckhead Podcast on Fridays
– New episodes of ‘Pipe Dreams’ on Sundays

Thanks for sticking around!

– Nuckhead

Skip to…
00:00 — Intro
00:14 — Elias Pettersson
01:46 — Noise
03:12 — Quinn Hughes
05:17 — Goaltending
06:20 — Filip Chytil
07:51 — etc.
09:11 — Prediction
09:37 — Outro

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