{"id":548854,"date":"2026-04-09T16:33:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/548854\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:33:21","slug":"canucks-news-rumours-sasson-hughes-trading-draft-picks-the-hockey-writers-vancouver-canucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/548854\/","title":{"rendered":"Canucks News & Rumours: Sasson, Hughes & Trading Draft Picks – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Vancouver Canucks<\/a> might be out of the playoff picture, but they\u2019re not out of the story. They head into California to face the Los Angeles Kings with a chance to play spoiler \u2014 that\u2019s their role now. With games still coming against the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver has a direct say in how the Western Conference race shakes out.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks History of Selecting 3rd Overall in the NHL Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kings are pushing for a playoff spot and playing like it. The Canucks, on the other hand, are coming in on a losing streak and, more concerning, struggling to generate anything resembling consistent offence. Eleven shots in their last game tells you how ineffective their offence has been. The team is having trouble getting to its game at all. If Vancouver is going to have any say in this race, the effort level has to rise. <\/p>\n

Item One: Max Sasson Is Making His Case Late in the Season<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a bright spot, Max Sasson is one. In a season that\u2019s had more than its share of frustrating nights, he\u2019s put together a stretch that matters. He scored the lone goal in the loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and now has two goals and two assists in his last four games. On this roster right now, it stands out.<\/p>\n

\"TomVancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander celebrates his goal with forward Max Sasson and forward Teddy Blueger. (Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Not long ago, Sasson looked like a player who might be on the outside looking in. That\u2019s changed. He\u2019s worked his way back into the conversation with steady play. Thirteen goals and 19 points on the season tell you he can contribute. More importantly, he\u2019s doing it at a time when the team needs to see who can handle NHL minutes.<\/p>\n

Related: Manny Malhotra Deserves Consideration to Get NHL Head Coaching Job This Offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s really what the Canucks are doing right now: they\u2019re chasing answers. Sasson is giving them one, or at least forcing them to think about him differently heading into next season.<\/p>\n

Item Two: Quinn Hughes Grew Frustrated With Team\u2019s Direction<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a more serious storyline bubbling under the surface, and it involves Quinn Hughes. According to Rick Dhaliwal<\/a>, before he was traded, Hughes had grown uneasy with how the organization had handled some of its key people over the past few seasons.<\/p>\n

\"QuinnMinnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes reaches for the puck as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Spencer Stastney defends. (Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

The names mentioned included Bruce Boudreau, Rick Tocchet, and goalie coach Ian Clark. Hughes reportedly watched how those situations played out and didn\u2019t like what he saw. Tocchet, in particular, was said to be his favourite coach. When players at that level start to notice patterns \u2014 and start to feel uneasy about them \u2014 it matters.<\/p>\n

Related: Brock Boeser Is Reinventing Himself as a Canucks Cornerstone<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, is this something that turns into a bigger issue with Hughes gone? That\u2019s a question for the organization. But even the hint of frustration from a player like Hughes should get their full attention. You can live with a bad season. What you can\u2019t afford is a disconnect between your best player and the direction of the franchise.<\/p>\n

At the trade deadline, the Canucks signalled a shift. Moving players like Kiefer Sherwood, Tyler Myers, and Conor Garland brought back a pile of draft picks that included four seconds, plus a third and a fourth. On paper, that looks like a team patiently preparing to build.<\/p>\n

\"ConnorSan Jose Sharks left winger Kiefer Sherwood battles with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in front of goaltender Connor Ingram. (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

But that patience might not last long. According to Thomas Drance<\/a>, the Canucks could look to flip some of those picks this summer for younger players who are already NHL-ready. That\u2019s a different approach. It\u2019s not a rebuild per se. It\u2019s more of a retool on the fly. Instead of waiting three or four years, you try to find players who can help now.<\/p>\n

Names like Justin Sourdif<\/a>, Trevor Zegras, and Egor Chinakhov<\/a> have been tossed around as examples of that type of move. Young players who might need a change of scenery but still have upside. It\u2019s a bit of a gamble, but it\u2019s also a way to speed things up if you believe your core is ready.<\/p>\n

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

Right now, this is about evaluation and a bit of pride. Head coach Adam Foote is still trying to find some consistency, and that hasn\u2019t been easy in a season like this. Effort has come and gone, and the home record hasn\u2019t done them any favours either.<\/p>\n

Related: What Canucks Fans Are Really Getting in Marco Rossi<\/a><\/p>\n

But these last games matter more than they look. This is where you figure out who can play, who can\u2019t, and who might surprise you. It\u2019s where guys like Sasson get a real shot, not just a cameo. It\u2019s where you experiment a little and see what sticks.<\/p>\n

And maybe most importantly, it\u2019s where you start to reset expectations. The playoffs aren\u2019t coming, but next season will. How the Canucks finish \u2014 how they compete, how they respond \u2014 will tell you a lot about what kind of team this is going to be when the games actually matter again.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Vancouver Canucks might be out of the playoff picture, but they\u2019re not out of the story. They…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":548855,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5128],"tags":[894,5,8490,4,1496,893,27,5313],"class_list":{"0":"post-548854","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver-canucks","8":"tag-canucks","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-max-sasson","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-quinn-hughes","13":"tag-vancouver","14":"tag-vancouver-canucks","15":"tag-vancouvercanucks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116375721707249553","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548854","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=548854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}