Canucks prospects Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren make their Minnesota return following wild game in Colorado<\/p>\n
Published Apr 02, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 7 minute read<\/p>\n
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The Canucks are assured of rock bottom in the NHL so winning doesn\u2019t jeopardize that. But on Wednesday they played a rollicking, fun game beating the NHL\u2019s best team in a wild 8-6 tilt that saw Brock Boeser<\/a> get a hat trick and make Canucks fans feel some hope.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Canucks beat the best team in the NHL, that mean\u2019s they\u2019re the best now, right? They get a banner for that? And can plan a parade?<\/p>\n It was nice to see the Canucks show they do have the talent to be competitive. The way other bottom feeders like Calgary have swatted Vancouver aside with ease as they did last weekend is troubling. But showing up against the best teams is a good sign. Ben Kuzma gave out his marks<\/a> on what was probably the best game of the season, even with the caveat they were probably overlooked by the Avalanche.<\/p>\n Liam Ohgren (C)<\/p>\n Speed turned PK shift in and odd-man rush and Blueger\u2019s first goal.<\/p>\n Elias Pettersson<\/a> (C+)<\/p>\n Assisted DeBrusk goal and won 11 of 16 draws, but had just one shot.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Marco Rossi (C+)<\/p>\n Must get greedy. Passed on Grade A PP shot. Two assists. No shots.<\/p>\n Brock Boeser<\/a> (A)<\/p>\n Four points. No hesitation goal, wrister, empty-netter. Four shots.<\/p>\n Zeev Buium (C)<\/p>\n Head on swivel against speedy Avs. Screened Lankinen on fifth goal.<\/p>\n Tom Willander (C+)<\/p>\n Smart play in offensive zone to buy time, spot Pettersson at back door.<\/p>\n Sometimes David beats Goliath \u2013 Farhan Lalji on Canucks win<\/p>\n Farhan Lalji was on Donnie and Dhali this morning to sum up the most improbable win of the season.<\/a><\/p>\n I think it came from the Avs taking their foot off the gas. And also not having Cale Makar. Makar is a small piece of it. I think foot off the gas is is a big piece of it because this is a team that just pounded Calgary in the last game and they probably figured the Canucks will go meekly into the night. <\/p>\n And it happens every once in a while, right? Where David beats Goliath. It was a fun game. And Mackenzie Blackwood was all shades of awful. Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n We haven\u2019t had a lot of those. That would have been a fun game at Rogers Arena<\/a> for the home folk. The home fans would have deserved that.<\/p>\n Hey coach its been more than a blip!<\/p>\n Iain MacIntyre wrote about the win on Sportsnet and noted the Canucks were pleased with their compete level. Including the thoughts of coach Adam Foote who could probably brush up on his understanding of what a \u2018blip\u2019 is.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning of the year to injuries, to going young and the rebuild, it\u2019s been wild,\u201d Canucks coach Adam Foote told reporters in Denver. \u201cBut to play as hard as we do still, with the resiliency and leadership from (Filip) Hronek and guys like Boeser, Marcus, it\u2019s good to see. And the young guys are coming. They\u2019re coming, they\u2019re believing it, they\u2019re staying connected. You know, we\u2019re going to have our blips. We\u2019re just learning the hard way right now. But the resiliency, like you said, is what I\u2019m proud of. The guys kept fighting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Next up for Vancouver is Minnesota. OK, it\u2019s probably going to be a big event for Boeser and Elias Pettersson<\/a> who were close to Hughes before he deserted Vancouver and made it clear he wanted out. The big reunion for fans will be next season when the Wild come to Rogers Arena<\/a>. Tonight the story is probably more about the Wild Boys, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, three top prospects who came to the Canucks and now go back to Minnesota. The Athletic took a look at their perspective since the trade<\/a>. What\u2019s encouraging, especially as the points have been coming along lately, is that Rossi seems to have the right mindset.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all competitors, right?\u201d said Rossi, 24. \u201cBut we all know the situation we\u2019re in right now. We know we have to get better and we have to learn, especially with so many young players. It\u2019s important to stay together and just learn as much as we can and know the future is going to be better if we do that. We have a lot of good young players and prospects.\u201d<\/p>\n Buium said being so young, \u201cyou\u2019re so delusional a little bit, and you just believe you\u2019re going to be in that place forever. I wanted to, for sure, and I think everybody knew that I really embraced what it meant to be a Minnesota Wild player. I think they have such a great thing going there, a great culture. \u2026 But when a page closes, the next one opens.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossi and \u00d6hgren feel the same.<\/p>\n This is a new opportunity with an organization that believes wholeheartedly in them.<\/p>\n Rossi, to be blunt, didn\u2019t feel that the last year in Minnesota. There were trade rumours for two consecutive years, and he was well aware they weren\u2019t just rumours. His agents were honest with him that one reason it was so difficult to get a contract done with the Wild last summer was that he was likely being shopped.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n So even after Rossi agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract in August, he knew he was very easily tradeable.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t feel that energy (by them) when my contract was coming up, so even though I was pumped to re-sign, you don\u2019t really know if they love you,\u201d Rossi said. \u201cSo it was really hard to know what to believe and what not to, so when I got traded, you were sad, but on the other side, you were really happy knowing Vancouver really wanted you.\u201d<\/p>\n Rossi was traded to the Canucks at the tail end of a foot injury after playing 82 games in each of the prior two seasons. He admits that he probably came back too early because he wanted to debut. He played eight games, scoring only a goal and two points. He never felt 100 per cent, then took a shot in the same spot and aggravated the injury. He didn\u2019t play from Jan. 2 until after the Olympic break began on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n \u201cIt never healed,\u201d Rossi said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s very frustrating. Especially when I got traded, you want to play so bad, and you want to show the fans what they\u2019ve got, and you just don\u2019t want to miss a game. And maybe it was a little bit too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He has 15 points in the past 14 games and is starting to feel more like himself playing on a line with Brock Boeser and Drew O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an old tradition in the NHL where players put a dollar figure on the locker-room whiteboard when they play an old team. That amount goes into the kitty for a team party at the end of the year or even into the wallet of the teammate who scores the winning goal that night.<\/p>\n Asked how much he\u2019ll put on the board, Rossi joked, \u201cDepends how much (\u00d6hgren and Buium) put up.\u201d<\/p>\n All three players, as tough as the losing has been, are excited about their futures in Vancouver.<\/p>\n Rossi said it\u2019s none of his business that the Wild still don\u2019t have a prototypical No. 1 centre after trading him, but that he hopes to be that in Vancouver. \u00d6hgren hopes to develop into a middle-six winger.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, the Wild have lost six of their last nine so it\u2019s not like the Canucks are running into a buzz saw.<\/p>\n Was curious yesterday on Canucks Live where we ran a poll of your thoughts on the best Canucks GM. Results had Brian Burke at 55 per cent, Mike Gills and Pat Quinn at 23 per cent.<\/p>\n I understand the Burke love, he pulled off the trade for the Sedins which was bold, complicated and set the table for the best Canucks era ever. But Gillis had a direct hand in that era. The whole \u2018Burkie\u2019 persona versus Gillis\u2019 is something that still gets a reaction in Vancouver.<\/p>\n No Canucks Live tomorrow as it\u2019s Good Friday so everyone enjoy your long weekend and go find some eggs.<\/p>\n Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks Coffee: What blossoming blueliner Zeev Buium can learn from Quinn Hughes<\/p>\n![\"Pettersson\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775162476_21_0401-col-canucks-1.jpg\")
Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks gets set to block a puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena in 2025. Photo by Claus Andersen \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.9.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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\u2026 and look, you got to give the Canucks credit. They played well. They outshot them. They out chanced them in the first period. Second period, they didn\u2019t go away to hide. That kind of happened in the third period. Um, you know, Lankinen wasn\u2019t great either. But 8-6. Wow.<\/p>\n![\"Fleet-footed](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/cp175517600_300485976.jpg\")
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