The Vancouver Canucks failed to qualify for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing first in the Pacific Division last season.
The Canucks (36-29-13) were eliminated from contention when the Minnesota Wild defeated the San Jose Sharks 8-7 in overtime Wednesday.
Vancouver was unable to build on its first-place finish and six-game win against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference First Round last season. The Canucks have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons.
Here's a look at what happened in the 2024-25 season for the Canucks and why things could be better next season.
The skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Brock Boeser, F; Pius Suter, F, Derek Forbort, D, Noah Juulsen, D
Potential restricted free agents: Max Sasson, F; Aatu Raty, F
Potential 2025 Draft picks: 7
What went wrong
Demko injury: Thatcher Demko sustained a knee injury during Game 1 of the playoffs against the Predators last season, on April 19, 2024, and the goalie didn't play his first game this season until Dec. 10, missing the first 26 games. Demko, a finalist last season for the Vezina Trophy given to the best goalie in the NHL, struggled to play at the same level as he had the previous season. He then sustained a lower-body injury during a 2-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 8 and missed an additional 15 games. Demko is 10-8-3 with a 2.90 goals-against average and .889 save percentage in 23 games. He was 35-14-2 with a 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage in 51 games last season. Had Demko been healthy for the entire season, things could have been different for the Canucks.
Inner turmoil: A reported rift between forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller was confirmed by Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in a newspaper interview Jan. 28. Pettersson and Miller had been feuding for most of the season, according to Rutherford, and attempts to resolve it internally were ineffective. Miller was traded to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31 for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Canucks were one point out of a playoff spot on the day of the trade, and have gone 13-12-3 since.
Pettersson struggles: Pettersson's production has dropped off dramatically since he had 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 80 games in 2022-23. He had 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games last season and has 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games this season. Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8 million contract ($11.6 million average annual value) he signed March 2, 2024. It's likely Pettersson's conflict with Miller didn't help, and neither did an upper-body injury he sustained during a 5-3 loss at the Rangers on March 22. He hasn't played since.
Reasons for optimism
Quinn Hughes: Hughes is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, and he's having another season worthy of consideration for the Norris Trophy as the best at his position. Injuries have been a factor, but Hughes still has 74 points (16 goals, 58 assists) in 64 games. Last season's Norris winner, Hughes has been Vancouver's best player on most nights. He can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season and one of the Canucks' top priorities will be to keep him in Vancouver beyond that.
Opportunity to reset: Things did not go as expected for Vancouver this season, but they have a chance to step back and reassess for next season. The Canucks still have a talented core with Hughes, Pettersson, Demko, forwards Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger. Demko also will have an opportunity to put in a full offseason of work and start next season healthy. Vancouver will have a chance to add through free agency and hope a few prospects are able to make the jump to the NHL next season. With a few tweaks and some better individual seasons, the Canucks should be a playoff contender again next season.
DeBrusk: The 28-year-old forward has had a productive first season with the Canucks after signing a seven-year, $38.5 million contract ($5.5 million AAV) July 1. He has 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 78 games, the second-highest total in his eight NHL seasons. He's been effective and showed himself to be capable of playing up and down the lineup while providing a physical presence. DeBrusk played his first seven seasons with the Boston Bruins and was in the playoffs every season. He brings experience to the lineup and should be a mainstay in Vancouver through the duration of his contract.
