What needs to go right for the Vancouver Canucks to return to the playoffs
Posted October 9, 2025 7:44 am.
Last Updated October 9, 2025 3:06 pm.
A lot can change over the course of a summer, and for the Vancouver Canucks, fans are hoping it has.
To say last season was a disappointment for fans is an understatement. It was filled with angst and infighting between stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller — a roster that couldn’t stay healthy. Despite nearly everything going wrong, the team still managed to rack up 90 points — missing the postseason qualification by just six. Still, those stats mark a significant drop-off from the 109 points captured during the 2023-2024 campaign that also led to the Pacific Division title.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!So, what needs to go right for the team to return to the postseason this year?
“They have overwhelmingly superstar potential players. They have Quinn Hughes. They have Thatcher Demko. They have Elias Pettersson. If those three guys play at their best, they’re going to be in the mix. It’s just a question of, ‘Can you get Demko healthy for 45-plus games? Can Pettersson play at an 80-point level? Can Hughes be healthy?’ He played at a 103-point pace from October through January, and then the wheels fell off on the season. You have those players, you’re going to be in a certain class in the NHL,” explains Sportsnet 650 Host Bik Nizzar.
He adds that by putting last season behind them and focusing on the work ahead, the Canucks are in a position to make the playoffs.
“You don’t even need everything to go right. If everything goes right, you can get 109 points and win the division, but if you just get half of the things going wrong, rather than all of the things going wrong, you could probably finish with 100 points.”
Nizzar breaks down the keys to a successful season.
“Health across the board. They have to be good on special teams. They’re just not going to be a super exciting five-on-five team, so they have to be strong on penalty kill, which they were last year, and they have to improve on the power play. Quinn Hughes is obviously dynamo; he’ll dominate on the power play, but you need goals from Pettersson. If there’s another layer here, Evander Kane comes in, that’s another presence. Jonathan Lekkerimäki: he’s already impressed in the pre-season with that one-shot ability, that’s something that could feature on the power play moving forward. The strength of this team is going to be defence and goaltending.”
Team brass have received criticism for not being able to secure a second-line centre in the off-season. Nizzar says that’s fair criticism, given management said it was going to make improvements in April.
“The thing is, there were six meaningful trades in the NHL this summer, so it’s a fair question to throw at every NHL team, ‘Why didn’t you go and be aggressive?’ Teams aren’t feeling threatened by offer sheets or financial stress, cap stress. They just have options that didn’t exist in the flat-cap world, post-pandemic, that it’s changed the entire behavioural marketplace of the NHL, that we’re not seeing trades across the league,” says Nizzar.
It’s not all bad news. Fans are optimistic about some elements, including re-signing Demko, Conor Garland and fan favourite Brock Boeser, and the number of young players really putting on a show, including Lekkerimäki, Arshdeep Bains, Braden Coots and (D) Elias Pettersson.
As for top-line centre Pettersson, who put up a meagre 45 points last season, there will be a hyperfocus on him to return to his regular form.
“As frustrating as the last 18 months have been… players like that don’t just completely disappear. I have a certain level of confidence that we’re going to see a viable number one centre. The goal posts have always moved now for Elias Pettersson of, ‘Well, if he doesn’t score 103 points, he’s not that player.’ The baseline for me is always 80 points for a first-line centre, so if he gets back to that and back to a very strong defensive profile, this will be a strong team.”
“The simplest path to keeping Quinn Hughes is have success this year.”
Meanwhile, all eyes are on Hughes, as speculation swirls around his future. He’s eligible to re-sign next summer, and how the team performs this year will likely weigh heavily on his decision.
“They have financial leverage over every other team in the NHL because of the way the CBA is working, but Hughes is in control of the situation. If he wants to stay, then that’s a fantastic outcome. If it’s a short-term deal like what we just saw with Connor McDavid, that’s a great outcome. But to be able to get to that stage, you have to show that you’re winning, and you have to make the playoffs.”
Hughes’ contract is up following the 2026-2027 season.
Whether President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford and General Manager Patrik Allvin keep their jobs if the team does poorly is also in question.
“If they aren’t winning this year, this winter is going to be very cold for them because are you going to be empowered to make big decisions, knowing the Hughes contract resides in the background? If you don’t win this year, next summer is going to be very difficult. Because if Hughes says, ‘This is not the place I want to be long-term,’ are you going to entrust this management group to be the ones to execute that trade if the plan is already not working? You have to win because you have to convince Hughes to stay. The simplest path to keeping Quinn Hughes is have success this year.”
For any stressed-out fans anxious about this season, Nizzar has advice.
“Pick yourself up for a 55th time. That’s basically it,” he says. “The stakes are very high, but that’s the point of fandom. Just keep showing up.”
1130 NewsRadio did reach out to the Canucks for comment on increasing ticket and concession prices, but never heard back.
The puck drops at Rogers Arena just after 7 p.m. against the Calgary Flames. Next, the team heads to Edmonton for a Saturday tilt against the Oilers.
