{"id":598739,"date":"2026-06-14T17:24:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/598739\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T17:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:24:31","slug":"canucks-news-rumours-thompson-safonov-pettersson-hronek-debrusk-karlsson-the-hockey-writers-vancouver-canucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/598739\/","title":{"rendered":"Canucks News & Rumours: Thompson, Safonov, Pettersson, Hronek, DeBrusk & Karlsson – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

This past week, the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> made a couple of quiet depth signings. They might not move the needle in July, but they tend to matter more in November when injuries start stacking up. At the same time, there\u2019s a bigger Canucks problem evident in the top five scorers on last season\u2019s team. <\/p>\n

The real question is what last season\u2019s numbers are actually saying about the team\u2019s structure. In this post, I\u2019ll take a look at what\u2019s sitting underneath the numbers\u2014because they tell a more interesting story than they first appear.<\/p>\n

Jack Thompson Signs One-Year Deal After Switch to Abbotsford<\/p>\n

The Canucks have added some organizational depth on the blue line, signing Jack Thompson to a one-year, two-way contract<\/a>. Thompson split last season between the San Jose Sharks\u2019 American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate and the Abbotsford Canucks after being acquired in a March deal for Jett Woo.<\/p>\n

Offensively, Thompson posted six goals and 25 points in 56 AHL games last season. It\u2019s not a huge production, but it is steady. He\u2019s a depth defender who wasn\u2019t dominant in any one area, but he also didn\u2019t drift through games either. He played, contributed, and stayed in the mix enough to warrant a contract.<\/p>\n

\"JackJack Thompson, seen here with the San Jose Sharks (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

He also isn\u2019t new to the NHL environment. Thompson has 34 career games at the top level, with four goals and 10 points, though he didn\u2019t appear for Vancouver last season. That experience alone gives him a bit of a different profile than a typical depth signing. For the Canucks, he\u2019s the kind of low-risk move that keeps an organization stable. Thompson likely starts in Abbotsford, but if injuries hit the NHL roster, he\u2019s already on the internal radar.<\/p>\n

Ilya Safonov Brings KHL Experience Into the Mix<\/p>\n

The Canucks also brought in forward Ilya Safonov on a one-year, two-way deal worth $950,000<\/a> at the NHL level. Safonov arrives without a North American track record but has more Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) experience with Ak Bars Kazan. Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021, Safonov has spent the past four seasons developing in Russia, including a 16-goal, 33-point campaign last season over 68 games. That\u2019s solid production in a league that doesn\u2019t always hand out easy offence.<\/p>\n

Still, he doesn\u2019t project as a top-line scorer at the NHL level. He looks more like a depth evaluation signing than anything else. Expect Safonov to get a good look in training camp, and the Canucks will get a chance to see how his game translates to North American ice. There\u2019s size, experience, and enough offensive touch to keep things interesting, but the expectation is more bottom-six utility than anything higher.<\/p>\n

\"IlyaIlya Safonov, HC Ak Bars Kazan (Photo credit: HC Ak Bars Kazan)<\/p>\n

From a roster-building perspective, it\u2019s another no-risk, low-cost option that increases competition heading into camp.<\/p>\n

Canucks\u2019 Scoring Leaders Point to a Structural Issue Beneath the Surface<\/p>\n

This is where things get more interesting than the new signings. Vancouver\u2019s top offensive producers last season \u2014 Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk<\/a>, and Linus Karlsson<\/a> \u2014 all put up middling numbers. Pettersson still reached 51 points in what most would call a down season. Hronek nearly hit 50 from the blue line while playing heavy minutes. Boeser and DeBrusk combined for over 40 goals. That\u2019s production.<\/p>\n

But then you look at the other side of the ledger. Every single one of them finished deep in the minus: Pettersson (minus-30), Hronek (minus-23), Boeser (minus-48), DeBrusk (minus-31), Karlsson (minus-28). That\u2019s not a good pattern.<\/p>\n

\"FilipVancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

What it suggests is not a lack of offensive talent but a team environment where scoring chances and defensive structure aren\u2019t aligning. The Canucks could produce enough offence to stay competitive, but they\u2019re spending too much time in situations where they\u2019re defending.<\/p>\n

When that happens across your entire top group, it stops being about individual performance and starts pointing to system-level issues. These include zone exits, transition defence, and how often shifts start under pressure rather than in control.<\/p>\n

The encouraging part is that none of these players looks broken. Pettersson still could be the top-line centre he\u2019s shown. Boeser still scores goals. Hronek is a heavy-minutes defenceman. DeBrusk and Karlsson both look like they can be useful in the right structure. The question for next season is whether the team can create that structure.<\/p>\n

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

For Vancouver, the offseason story isn\u2019t really about adding depth pieces like Thompson and Safonov. Both are supporting moves. The real focus is whether the coaching staff and management believe last season\u2019s results were a personnel issue or a systems issue.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s the latter, the path forward might not require dramatic roster changes. It might just require a cleaner structure, better defensive support, and more consistent puck management in transition. The core probably isn\u2019t going anywhere. Pettersson, Boeser, and Hronek are foundational pieces. There are rumours that DeBrusk might be gone<\/a>. Now, head coach Manny Malhotra\u2019s job is to try to optimize the system around whoever is left.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s the case, then the real hope for Vancouver isn\u2019t that new names suddenly transform the lineup. It\u2019s that the same names already on the sheet start playing in a game that finally works with them instead of against them.<\/p>\n

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