Canucks Enter Rebuild Year With New Faces and a Clear Direction

The 2025-26 season was a disaster by almost every measure, and the Canucks deserve credit for not pretending otherwise. The front office was overhauled top to bottom, a real coaching voice was brought in, and the organization committed to a proper rebuild rather than a half-measure retool. The grade reflects a credible plan, not a finished product.

Last season in review

The numbers were brutal. Vancouver went 25-49-8 for 58 points, finished last in the Pacific Division, and posted a goal differential of minus-100, a figure that Sportsnet notes was significantly worse than the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks at minus-62. The offence managed only 216 goals, tied for 30th in the league. The defence allowed 316. Quinn Hughes led the team with 76 points before he was traded in December. Elias Pettersson, the face of the franchise, managed 51 points. Kevin Lankinen went 11-27-5 with an .875 save percentage behind a team that gave him almost no margin for error. Thatcher Demko played only 20 games due to injury. There was no single area that held up.

Ins and outs

• In: Ryan Johnson (promoted to general manager from Abbotsford)
• In: Daniel and Henrik Sedin (named co-presidents of hockey operations)
• In: Manny Malhotra (hired as head coach)
• In: Zeev Buium (acquired from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes trade, then signed to an eight-year, $75.04 million extension)
• In: Marco Rossi (acquired from Minnesota in the Quinn Hughes trade)
• In: Brendan Gallagher (acquired in a trade with Montreal)
• In: Jamie Oleksiak (signed as a free agent, two years, $10 million)
• In: Luke Schenn (signed as a free agent, one year, $2.25 million)
• In: Paul Cotter (signed as a free agent)
• In: Adam Novotny (signed to entry-level deal after being selected 24th overall in the 2026 draft)
• Out: Quinn Hughes (traded to Minnesota)
• Out: Nils Hoglander (traded to Nashville)
• Out: Marcus Pettersson (traded to the New York Rangers)
• Out: Patrik Allvin (fired as general manager)
• Out: Jim Rutherford (stepped down as president of hockey operations)
• Out: Adam Foote (fired as head coach)

The big question

Can Thatcher Demko stay healthy? He had hip surgery in January and will not be a full participant in training camp, according to Sportsnet and NHL.com. Lankinen is capable of carrying a heavier load, but his numbers from last season show the limits of that option. If Demko cannot get back to being a reliable starter, the Canucks will be fighting an uphill battle in almost every game.

X-factor

Zeev Buium. The 20-year-old defenceman is the cornerstone of this rebuild, and the eight-year extension makes that explicit. He posted 26 points in 76 games split between Minnesota and Vancouver last season, and NHL.com notes he has the highest offensive upside among Vancouver's young defensive group. How quickly he develops alongside Filip Hronek will shape the ceiling of this team for years to come.

Bold prediction

Vancouver finishes last in the Pacific again, but Buium earns a spot in the Calder Trophy conversation by February.

The outlook

The Canucks open the 2026-27 season on the road in Edmonton on September 29, and nobody expects them to compete for a playoff spot. The Sedins and Johnson have said plainly that this is a development year, and the roster reflects that. The foundation is being poured: young defencemen, a new coaching voice in Malhotra, and a front office that finally has a coherent direction. Patience is the plan, and for the first time in a while, that is not a cop-out.