Photo credit: Screenshot
Jared McCann gave Adam Foote’s Canucks another reminder Saturday: Vancouver still hasn’t solved the former first-round pick in its own building.
After Seattle’s 5-2 win at Rogers Arena, McCann was told he has produced more points against Vancouver than against any other NHL team. His response was casual, but it landed hard for Canucks fans. He smiled, said he did not know that, then added that coming back to Vancouver is «special.»
That’s the part Canucks fans know too well. This is not some random hot streak on a back-to-back or a lucky bounce off a skate. McCann keeps showing up in this matchup, and Saturday added another chapter.
He opened the scoring in the first period, snapping a 10-game goal drought in the same city where his NHL career began. For Vancouver, that is exactly the kind of storyline this season has invited too often.
The numbers behind it are what make it sting. McCann now has 7 goals and 18 assists in 26 career games against the Canucks, the best point total he owns against any opponent.
And this was not an empty stat night in a lost season for Seattle. The Kraken moved to 30-26-9 with the win, while Vancouver dropped to 20-37-8.
Jared McCann’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks still stings
McCann was Vancouver’s 2014 first-round pick. Fans have spent years watching former Canucks come back with a little extra bite, but this one feels more personal because his success against Vancouver has lasted.
There was also a bigger hockey message in this game. Lane Lambert got the response he wanted from Seattle’s top six after several losses, and the Kraken looked faster, more direct, and more dangerous around the crease.
For the Canucks, that should be the frustrating part. This was not just about one former player scoring one goal. It was about another opponent coming into Rogers Arena and looking more urgent in the hard areas.
McCann’s quote was light. The message behind it was not. Vancouver still matters to him, and every time he returns, he seems to find another way to make that obvious.
Canucks fans do not need a stat sheet to feel that pattern by now. They have watched it often enough. Saturday just put a sharper edge on it.
And when a former first-round pick keeps treating your building like a comfortable stop on the schedule, that is not just a bad night. That is a reminder of what got away.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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