2024–25 Vancouver Canucks Mid-Season Report

We’re officially at the 41-game mark of the 2024–25 Vancouver Canucks’ regular season. The team set relatively high standards last year with a 27–11–3, so it’s not suprirsing that this season’s 18–13–10 record thus far has worried fans. Vancouver is currently clinging to the second wild card spot with 46 points on the season, trailed by a Calgary Flames team only a point behind them with a game in hand. How did this team get to where they are at this point? Let’s take a look.

Kevin Lankinen Steps Up

With the news that Thatcher Demko would be out of the lineup for an unforeseeable amount of time, it wasn’t surprising to see Vancouver nab one more insurance goaltender before the season started. Sure, fans and management may have been happy with Artūrs Šilovs’ playoff performances, but letting him start proved to be the wrong move as time progressed. As a 23-year-old, his time would be best spent honing his craft with the Abbotsford Canucks.

The signing of Kevin Lankinen proved to be an integral key to the Canucks’ successes. Throughout this season, he has posted a record of 15–7–6, tallied three shutouts, and patrolled the crease to the same degree as Demko on some nights. Most notably, he set a new NHL record in road wins on December 1, becoming the first goalie to start a season with 10 straight wins on the road. He was also named to Team Finland for the upcoming 4 Nations Faceoff. Regardless of whether Demko is healthy or not, Canucks fans have not had to worry with Lankinen in net.

227 Hits And Career Highs Are No Problem For Kiefer Sherwood

It’s been well-documented that, after defeating the Nashville Predators in six games in the 2024 NHL Playoffs, Canucks captain Quinn Hughes told management how impressed he was with one particular opposing player — and that they needed to get him this year in free agency. On July 1, Kiefer Sherwood was signed to a two-year contract.

Sherwood has been as advertised and so much more so far this season. So far, he has 12 goals and eight assists in 41 games played, and is currently averaging a career-high of 14:40 minutes per game. Last season was the first time he hit double-digits in goals with 10 in 68 games. His most-documented stat this year has been his avalanche of hits, which he has 227 of so far. He hit the 200 mark on Vancouver’s December 23 matchup against the San Jose Sharks.

In a season filled with uncertainty, Sherwood has been a consistently steady presence in the lineup. When not impacting the scoresheet offensively, the forward can be seen standing up for his teammates and killing penalties. However, when he does pot a goal or three, like his first career hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche on December 16, it’s always memorable. As the season progresses, only time will tell whether Sherwood will set a new NHL record in hits thrown in one season.

Four Players, 4 Nations

Four Canucks were named to their country’s respective teams for the 4 Nations tournament, as well as Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet being named to Team Canada. As mentioned, Lankinen will suit up for Team Finland, Elias Pettersson will be representing Team Sweden, and J.T. Miller and Hughes will dress for Team USA. Vancouver will have a representative as part of every team, meaning that fans will want to tune in to every game.

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The “Rift”

It has been the biggest talking point around the team throughout the entire season — the reported “rift” between Miller and Pettersson has dominated X, with both players speaking on the matter at various points.

“I don’t know why people still try and make s*** up,” Pettersson said to the media regarding the supposed disagreement.

“This isn’t a thing,” Miller added in a separate scrum. “Am I bothered? No. But you guys are just wasting your time. I don’t care. You can ask me all you want.”

Both Hughes and Tocchet have offered their perspectives on it, with both the captain and the coach set on playing being the focus.

“It’s all about the crest. It’s all about as long as I coach, it’s always about the crest,” Tocchet said in response to questions about the ‘rift.’

Hughes “Lapping The Field Offensively”

Vancouver’s highest scorer isn’t Miller, Pettersson, or any of the other usual suspects. While it shouldn’t come as a surprise, Hughes has dominated the league in creating offence for his team, regardless if he is the one tallying points or not. He’s currently operating at over a point per game pace, with eight goals and 37 assists in 37 games played. The captain is doing all of this while averaging 25:19 minutes per game, both on the offensive side and the defensive side.

Hughes has been the Canucks’ season MVP by a landslide. This comes after a career-high season of his in which he put up 17 goals and 75 assists to take home his first James Norris Memorial Trophy. While some expect him to win another this season, others are calling for him to win the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP. With the way he has hauled his team into games, as well as dealt with difficult topics with such candor, this award would definitely be well-deserved.

Injuries!

The injury tunnel has felt like a revolving door this season, hasn’t it? Once one player walks out, another one goes in. Vancouver started the season without Demko and Dakota Joshua (although Joshua’s circumstance was completely different), with neither suiting up until the middle of November. Brock Boeser came out of the lineup on November 7, Derek Forbort missed time due to a knee injury, Filip Hronek is just now partaking in a conditioning stint with Abbotsford, and Hughes and Pettersson both missed time after the Christmas break due to injury. Injuries!

Vancouver’s Highly-Anticipated Blockbuster Trade

Dread it, run from it, the big trade comes regardless. Even before the reported rift between Miller and Pettersson, fans were clamouring for a trade that would help out the team’s blueline. That hasn’t changed. One of the Canucks’ biggest on-ice issues is the lack of puck-moving defencemen. Aside from Hughes, no other blueliners are capable of breaking the puck out to generate more offence. Tyler Myers is currently the second highest-scoring defenceman on the team with two goals and eight assists. While part of these woes may be more visible due to the absence of Hronek, it’s still something the team needs to address if they hope to contend in the playoffs.

Lots of speculation has followed the team as fans attempt to pinpoint their next trade. For a while, Marcus Pettersson of the Pittsburgh Penguins was thought to be the next player to join the team. Buffalo Sabres’ Bowen Byram has also been a popular choice, as the defenceman is currently stuck in a backlog of talented blueliners including Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Calgary’s Rasmus Andresson was also thought of as an option for a while, until the defenceman recently announced that he “hate[s] the Canucks more than anyone else,” as well as the Edmonton Oilers. I guess that trade isn’t happening anymore.

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