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What happens in Vegas is the same thing that happens everywhere else, the Canucks lose
Published Mar 31, 2026 • 8 minute read
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Chandler Stephenson of the Seattle Kraken and Zeev Buium of the Vancouver Canucks March 14, 2026 in Vancouver. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty ImagesArticle content
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Most people who go to Vegas lose. The house usually wins.
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And the Canucks are as close to a guaranteed win night for the opposition as it gets. You can give them marks for hanging tough and being competitive against a plunging team that had lost four in a row. But they lost. Again. The losing streak stands at six now, all in regulation, no loser points. Ben Kuzma gave his report card on the team’s performance.
Liam Ohgren (C+)
Took slashing minor on backcheck, but good late chance to tie game.
Marco Rossi (C-)
Those 10 points in five games seem so long ago. Another quiet night.
Zeev Buium (C)
Shifty moves at offensive blue-line caused chaos, three giveaway night.
Tom Willander (C+)
Avoided forechecking pressure with effortless exits. Three blocked shots.
Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet talked about how the problems the Canucks are having can be traced directly to the young defence core.
The number of times this season that (coach Adam) Foote has mentioned the inexperience of the team’s young defencemen risks creating an impression that Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson (Junior) and, lately, Victor Mancini are the main reason the team is heading to its worst finish in franchise history.
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Problems and deficiencies on the Canucks, of course, extend far beyond the academy on the blue line.
That said, all of the young defenceman might have been better suited to more (or some) development time in the American Hockey League, and their learning-as-they-go mistakes at the NHL level have indeed been a factor in team performance.
Pettersson, for instance, knows he can’t go all-in on a challenge and misplay a two-on-one like he did on Shea Theodore’s tying goal. Buium knows he can’t turn over the puck in his own slot, and Willander understands he has to box out in front of the net. These are smart kids.
Monday was just NHL Game Nos. 61 for Willander and 67 for Buium. In his second season, Pettersson is up to 90 games.
NHL growing pains are almost always a necessity for young defencemen, so at least the trio is that much closer to making it past adolescence as pros. And the Canucks, as everyone knows, are uniquely equipped to let them learn on the job.
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Everyone acknowledges this is going to be a painful rebuild. This isn’t a case where if everything goes right this time next year we’re talking about the Canucks in the playoffs. When you look at teams that have built true Cup contenders from the bottom it’s generally teams that have drafted in the top two or three a few years in a row.
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Now first the Canucks have to get the first step, win the draft lottery this year. At least get the second spot. By most scouts and analysts accounts the top two players are Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, both highly-skilled wingers. The Canucks also have Braeden Cootes, another winger, coming through the system. They’ve got some prospects on defence, like Zeev Buium, but the big question with the Canucks is at centre. There have been flashes from Marco Rossi, but he’s far from guaranteed to be a first-line centre prospect. So … it’s helpful that the excellent Scott Wheeler of the Athletic peeked ahead to the 2027 draft crop. Yes, there’s another season of pain to get through, but is there a scenario to dream of the Canucks getting McKenna next year and then getting a top centre the following year to pair with him? Here’s a look at some of Wheeler’s top centre prospects to keep an eye on for the next 12 months. The great news is Wheeler has six of the top 10 prospects right now as centres, Alexis Joseph is the only one in his top tier though. If you don’t have a subscription to the Athletic I highly recommend it with the job they do on prospects and how important they will be to Canucks fans over the next few seasons.
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2. Alexis Joseph, C1, 6′ 5″, 201 Ibs.
Joseph, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 QMJHL draft, is a big, strong, athletic, pro-built at an early age centre with skill and a strong skating stride. He was dominant at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, leading Canada Red to gold and the tournament in goals with six in five games, and has been a top player on a rebuilding under-. 500 team in Saint John this year, playing to above a point per game.
Joseph has played in all situations as a 16-year-old as a go-to player at five-on-five and on the PP, and a contributor on the PK. He can challenge opposing D with his combination of strength, good speed, and quick hands/touch around the net. He’s also comfortable trying things and taking guys one-on-one, and has scored some pretty goals this season, beating opponents off the rush and driving the net. He’s also in great shape at an early age, though there will likely be questions about whether he’s closer to maxxed out than his peers are there (that he’ll have to answer by taking another step next year). I wouldn’t say his competitiveness is the defining quality of his game, but he works, plays through contact and wants to be good both ways. He’s also a summer birthday, and with continued development, he could profile as the kind of centre teams covet as a cornerstone piece.
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4 Milan Sundström, C2. 6′ 2″, 187 Ibs.
Sundström is a driven and talented pro-sized centre who has impressed as the top player on Sweden’s U17 team this year. He has had several standout showings internationally already and has clicked at a goal per game as a 16-year-old at the J20 level. He has a big-time shot that comes off his blade hard. He’s noticeably strong on his feet, plays through contact, wins battles and gets up and under sticks. He’s good in the faceoff circle. He’s a strong north-south skater who can drive down ice, win his routes and transport pucks. But he can also score off the flank on the power play, shows one-on-one attributes and has poise on the puck. It’s early, but he looks like the real deal to me.
6. Carter Meyer, C3, 6′, 176 Ibs.
Meyer, a BU commit, is the best ’09 at the program and has looked like a potential top-10 pick whenever I’ve watched him with the U17 or U18 team (which, after he was called up, he has also become a top player on) this year. The son of former NHL defenceman Freddy Meyer, Carter is a competitive, well-rounded and talented centre who has driven offence and kills penalties with the national team. He plays with his heads-up, can play at different paces, protects and holds onto pucks well and has skill in possession and a quick release, but he’ll also go to the front of the net, play through contact, finish his checks, battle and occasionally take an emotional penalty. He’s also a strong skater who likes to attack one-on-one off the rush and go at defenders. He looks like a future top-six centre.
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7. Brock England, C4, 5′ 11″, 174 Ibs.
The best skater I’ve seen in this class, and one of the best I’ve watched at 16, England’s game is defined by his elite breakaway speed and acceleration. He can pull away in straight lines or wind up through his crossovers and make guys miss. He has moments where he looks electric on the ice and pulls you out of your seat with his ability to create. And then on top of the speed, he has the quick-twitch hands to go with it and a decent shot. He has also played to positive two-way results and was challenged in Seattle this year to take on a lot of responsibility. He’s still got work to do on his habits away from the puck and how best to utilize and deploy his speed, and he’s a sub-6-foot centre who needs to improve in the faceoff circle and may end up as a winger (they’ve already bounced him around position-wise with the Thunderbirds), but the talent and skating should take him a long way. He’s also an August birthday, so there’s runway for him to really put it all together and continue to take steps.
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8. Sammy Nelson, C5, 6′ 2″, 192 Ibs.
Nelson, a late-birthday ’08 who was just days away from 2026 eligibility, has been a driver for that age group as one of its youngest players over the last two years. He’s a big, strong centre who will follow in his brother Danny’s (an Islanders prospect) footsteps at Notre Dame. He has shown more offence at the same age than Danny did and is a better skater (he has a very strong stride) while also having his brother’s size, unselfishness and all-zone commitment. Nelson plays a driven game, has a pro shot, uses and plays off his linemates well and can play on the wall and to the net. He has some jump off the puck and keeps his feet moving to get open, too, which young players don’t always do. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle. Nelson just looks like he’s going to have a long pro career as a top-nine forward and potentially more than that.
10, Jaxon Jacobson, C6, 5′ 10″, 183 Ibs.
Jacobson has been one of the most productive young players in the WHL over the last two seasons and change at age 15-17 (and as a centere no less). This season, he has worn an “A” as a draft-minus-one and has led the Wheat Kings in points (he finished with 85 in 63 games) and assists (60) for most of this year despite dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered in November and later played through (before the injury, he was one of the league’s leading scorers). He’s a pass-first pivot who should be one of the WHL’s top forwards in his draft year.
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Jacobson is a heady, crafty, highly intelligent offensive player who drives a lot of offence on his lines with his playmaking and IQ. He has quick hands, soft touch on his forehand and backhand, puts pucks into great spots and with perfect timing and weight for his teammates, runs the half-wall on the power play and has a natural release. He’s a decent skater (though not an explosive one for his size). There have been times in my viewings when I’ve wanted him to get to the dirty areas offensively and play through contact a little more, but he’s competitive enough to potentially project as a centre (he’s also strong in the faceoff circle and has won 55 per cent of his draws this year).
Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day.
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