Can the Canucks salvage their season?

The Vancouver Canucks have reached the quarter mark of their 2024-25 NHL season but find themselves below the .500 mark, despite solid performances in recent games. 

While Elias Pettersson has yet to live up to his $11.6 million contract, he has six goals and 19 points in 21 games this season, and Quinn Hughes has 10 points in his last three games as his contract situation looms over the hockey club. 

With the concerns around star players, as well as injuries to goaltender Thatcher Demko and others, how much can the Canucks make of their remaining 61 games? 

The day after the Canucks fell 8-5 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dove into how they could move forward on the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Live. 

Yaremchuk: The Canucks are another Canadian team that’s sitting there, and the fan base is going, ‘What the hell is happening?’ I was talking to David Quadrelli, our friend from Canucks Army and Canucks Conversation, and he kind of laughed and was like, “They need to rebuild.” 

I think a lot of Canucks fans are sitting there being like, ‘You know what? If we’re bad for a year, it’s a blessing in disguise that finally teaches this organization that they need to change the way they’re going about building this.’ I don’t think Vancouver can salvage this season.

Hutton: I don’t think so either. A lot of times, we look at the past where they’re not far removed from being a really strong team and the potential that was there, and it kind of fizzles away quickly.

When I look at the Vancouver Canucks, I think, where are you at? You have a few good players. Yes, there are some key players there, and Quinn Hughes is arguably the best defenseman in the league when he’s healthy and when he’s going. 

Then there’s Thatcher Demko, you know, at that point, he’s injured again. Like, there’s no sustainability there when he’s hurt all the time when he is your difference maker on a nightly basis, and you paid him to be that, right? 

I don’t know where this team is going in a division that is only getting stronger. The Anaheim Ducks, they’re not going away, and they’re here to stay, and in my opinion, again, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers. Now, Vancouver is in that situation where, you know, at what point are you a year or two away from the San Jose Sharks being a much better hockey team?

You can catch the full Canucks breakdown and the rest of Tuesday’s episode right here…