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Vancouver Canucks 2025 look ahead
If you’re a Vancouver Canucks fan, you may be worried about the team’s on- and off-ice struggles as we look ahead to the New Year.
It’s no secret the team has not played as well as they did last season and that has the attention of fans and the team’s front office.
Sportsnet 650 Host Jamie Dodd shares what he thinks needs to change to get the team back on track in 2025.
“Their stars need to start playing like stars consistently and they need to play with a lot of effort and a lot more intensity,” explained Dodd. “Consistency is the key. There have been games where we’ve seen them look a lot like the team from last year. Recent wins over the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. But too often, they come out flat, they’re not as detailed as they were last year and again, the star players just aren’t getting it done, with the exception of Quinn Hughes.”
Dodd says the Canucks were expected to take a big step forward this season, but so far, that hasn’t come to fruition.
“Going from a surprising playoff team last year to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender this season. If they go backwards and miss the playoffs entirely, all options be on the table. Whether that means a coaching change or major changes to the roster. Some fans have certainly started pointing the finger at Rick Tocchet, which is a major change from last season,” he explained.
“The coach is always a target for criticism when a team is struggling. Look, no coach is perfect and Tocchet himself has said he needs to be better. But I also don’t think he’s one of the main issues with the team. For the most part, I think he’s doing the best he can with the hand he’s been dealt.”
One sore point for the team is its defensive core, especially with Filip Hronek out with an injury.
“It’s certainly the most glaring on-ice issue with the team right now. We’ve heard reports that management is trying to trade for a puck-moving defenceman. There must be a high level of urgency to find a player who can improve the blueline because outside of Hughes, the defence is struggling.”
The NHL’s holiday roster freeze lifts Friday, and Dodd says it’s possible a trade may be imminent.
“Jim Rutherford, president of hockey operations for the Canucks, throughout his long career he has always been aggressive about trying to improve his teams, so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a quick trade after the freeze.”
As the Canucks move money around, they’ll also need to address 40-goal scorer Brock Boeser’s contract in 2025.
“His production has slowed this season, especially since coming back from injury, but he would still be one of the most in-demand players on the market if he does make it to free agency in the summer. Boeser is the team’s best winger. They have some salary cap space to afford him. There’s no reason the two sides shouldn’t be able to get a deal done.”
Like other players over the summer, Dodd says it’s unclear if Boeser will take a so-called hometown discount to stay here.
“The latest reports are that Boeser’s camp is looking for an 8-year deal with an annual average value (AAV) of more than $8 million. That might sound like a lot. That might give fans sticker shock, but that’s very much in line with what similar players have signed for recently and if the team wants to retain Boeser’s services, that’s the type of deal we’re probably looking at.”
But it’s not all bad news for the team or its fanbase. All signs point to Hughes potentially winning the Norris Trophy again.
“Right now, it looks like a two-horse race between Hughes and Cale Makar, but Hughes should be the favourite. No defenceman helps their team as much as Hughes has this season. If the Canucks improve as a team, you could even make the case that Hughes should be in the Hart Trophy conversation.”
Dodd says a squad without Hughes would be dismal.
“This version of the Canucks without Hughes could be ugly. This team is supposed to have four elite players in Hughes, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko. But Miller and Pettersson have really underperformed and Demko has only played a handful of games, so far. Hughes has stepped up and kept this team in the playoff picture. He’s been one of the best players in hockey this season and I don’t think Canucks fans even want to think about what the team could look like if you took him out of the line-up.”
Overall, Dodd says fans have some positive things to look forward to in 2025.
“Most Canucks fans exist in a state of perpetual worry, so far be it for me to say otherwise, but I do actually think there are some reasons for optimism going into the New Year. So many things have gone wrong for the team this season. So many key players have either underperformed, missed major time with injuries or done both and yet the team is still right in the playoff mix.
“If the team gets healthy, players like Miller and Pettersson find their form and maybe management trades for a missing piece on the blueline, the mood around this team could be much different.”
You can listen to Jamie Dodd and Thomas Durance on Canucks Talk on Sportsnet 650 Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
