{"id":424171,"date":"2026-01-23T20:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/424171\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T20:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T20:06:26","slug":"canucks-news-rumours-foote-chytil-friedman-on-pettersson-trade-the-hockey-writers-vancouver-canucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/424171\/","title":{"rendered":"Canucks News & Rumours: Foote, Chytil & Friedman on Pettersson Trade – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an 11-game losing streak, it didn\u2019t take much to wake the building up. When the Vancouver Canucks <\/a>held on to beat the Washington Capitals\u2014Alex Ovechkin<\/a> and all\u2014there was suddenly energy at Rogers Arena again. Not belief, exactly, and certainly not relief in the long-term sense, but something close enough to feel unfamiliar. It didn\u2019t erase the frustration of the past two months, but for one night, the bleeding stopped. Sometimes that\u2019s enough to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks News & Rumours: Boeser, Lankinen, O\u2019Connor & Hronek<\/a><\/p>\n

What it means for the rest of the season is anyone\u2019s guess. One comeback win doesn\u2019t change the standings or rewrite a story that\u2019s been painful to follow, but it did create a pause\u2014a moment where the noise softened, and the team could breathe. <\/p>\n

The Canucks will turn their attention to the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, carrying with them the fragile benefit of one good night. It may not lead anywhere lasting, but at least it reminded everyone in the building what it feels like when a game doesn\u2019t slip away.<\/p>\n

The win against the Capitals didn\u2019t happen in a vacuum. It came one night after head coach Adam Foote publicly challenged his veteran group following Monday\u2019s 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders, calling out poor body language and a lack of leadership on the bench. It wasn\u2019t subtle, and it wasn\u2019t meant to be. The response, at least for one night, looked exactly like what he was asking for.<\/p>\n

\"AdamVancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote watches the action (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Brock Boeser addressed it directly afterward, noting how important it is for veteran players to set the tone, especially for young teammates watching how adversity gets handled. Against Washington, the Canucks didn\u2019t unravel after falling behind early. They didn\u2019t sag when the Capitals pushed late. They didn\u2019t turn frustration into visible disengagement. That alone marked a departure from too many recent nights.<\/p>\n

Related: The NHL\u2019s Best Farm Systems Ranked \u2013 2025-26 Midseason Update<\/a><\/p>\n

Foote talked about calm over emotion, and that showed in how Vancouver managed momentum swings. They stayed connected, stayed patient, and didn\u2019t let the game slip into chaos. It doesn\u2019t fix the standings or erase months of damage, but it does suggest the room is still reachable. At this point in the season, that may matter more than any single result.<\/p>\n

Item Two: Filip Chytil\u2019s Return Is Getting Close, But Caution Rules<\/p>\n

Filip Chytil<\/a> being listed as a game-time decision for Friday\u2019s matchup against the Devils might not sound like much, but for the Canucks, it counts as real progress. Foote said the situation \u201clooks promising,\u201d which is a meaningful shift after months of uncertainty surrounding Chytil\u2019s upper-body injury.<\/p>\n

\"FilipFilip Chytil, Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Chytil hasn\u2019t played since Oct. 19. He\u2019s missed 44 straight games and spent most of that time on injured reserve. Unfortunately, this isn\u2019t new territory. Injuries have limited the 26-year-old to just 72 regular-season games over the past three seasons, turning what should be prime development years into a frustrating cycle of stops and starts.<\/p>\n

Because of that history, expectations need to stay modest. Any talk of scoring milestones or immediate impact misses the point. For Vancouver, Chytil\u2019s potential return isn\u2019t about instant offence\u2014it\u2019s about depth, pace, and having another credible option down the middle. Even easing him back into a sheltered role gives the coaching staff more flexibility during a stretch where stability has been hard to come by.<\/p>\n

Related: Today in Hockey History: Jan. 23<\/a><\/p>\n

The keyword here is patience. A healthy Chytil in March matters far more than squeezing a rushed appearance into January. The Canucks don\u2019t need him fast\u2014they need him right.<\/p>\n

As the Canucks try to steady themselves, the noise around Elias Pettersson continues off the ice. Elliotte Friedman poured a bit of cold water on the latest wave of trade speculation this week, suggesting the conversation is getting well ahead of reality.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said he his no-trade clause without a compelling reason. Interest alone isn\u2019t enough. Fit alone isn\u2019t enough. For any deal to move forward, there has to be something tangible that makes him want to say yes.<\/p>\n

\"EliasTeam Sweden forward Elias Pettersson looks on in warm-up before the game against Team Canada during a 4 Nations Face-Off (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Friedman acknowledged that situations can change. Constant trade rumours wear on players, and there are moments when that noise becomes exhausting. But frustration doesn\u2019t automatically translate into willingness. Teams can talk all they want about destinations and possibilities, but until there\u2019s a clear benefit for a player, speculation stays exactly where it is\u2014speculation.<\/p>\n

That message was echoed by Pettersson\u2019s agent, J.P. Barry, who in a recent appearance on Donnie and Dhali. From his perspective, rumours don\u2019t mean much unless the general manager is actually calling with a real proposal. Until that happens, the Pettersson conversation remains loud, persistent, and largely disconnected from action.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for the Canucks?<\/p>\n

What comes next for the Canucks is less about climbing the standings and more about changing the rhythm of their season. One comeback win doesn\u2019t fix months of inconsistency, but it does create a narrow opening. With only five home wins all season and no back-to-back victories at Rogers Arena since early March, this hasn\u2019t been bad luck\u2014it\u2019s been habit.<\/p>\n

Related: Vancouver Canucks Calling: Carey Price, Please Come Home<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday against the Devils offers a chance, even if it\u2019s a small one. A second straight home win wouldn\u2019t erase the damage already done, but it would suggest the response to adversity was real and not just emotional. For a team that\u2019s spent most of the season chasing stability, the next step is simple but demanding: prove that one good night can lead to another. That\u2019s the test now. Not belief. Not optimism. Just proof.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After an 11-game losing streak, it didn\u2019t take much to wake the building up. When the Vancouver Canucks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5128],"tags":[3528,894,2318,5561,5,4,893,27,5313],"class_list":{"0":"post-424171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver-canucks","8":"tag-adam-foote","9":"tag-canucks","10":"tag-elias-pettersson","11":"tag-filip-chytil","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-vancouver","15":"tag-vancouver-canucks","16":"tag-vancouvercanucks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115946218230835342","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}