From Contender to Collapse: Canucks’ Fall from Grace Reaches New Low in Blowout Loss to Oilers
It wasn’t that long ago the Vancouver Canucks were a win away from the Western Conference Final. Up 3-2 on the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, they had the series - and the momentum - in their hands. But since that Game 7 loss, it’s been a steep and painful descent for a team that once looked ready to take the next step.
Now, the 2023-24 Pacific Division champs are a shadow of their former selves. That 50-23-9 record feels like ancient history. And what’s followed has been a complete unraveling, both on and off the ice.
The 2024-25 campaign brought a sharp step back, with Vancouver finishing 38-30-14. But the record was only part of the story.
The real headline came off the ice, where tensions boiled over between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.
The rift was public, messy, and ultimately ended with Miller being dealt to the New York Rangers. That was just the beginning.
Head coach Rick Tocchet saw the writing on the wall and took a job with the Flyers in the offseason. Then came the real gut punch: captain Quinn Hughes made it clear he had no interest in sticking around for a rebuild. Vancouver obliged, sending him to the Minnesota Wild - a move that signaled the official start of a teardown.
And the numbers since? Brutal.
The Canucks are sitting at 16-27-5, dead last in the NHL. After a brief post-Hughes trade spark - four straight road wins - the wheels have come off entirely.
Since the Christmas break, Vancouver has dropped 11 of its last 12 games. Their lone win in that stretch came in a shootout against the Kraken.
Saturday night’s 6-0 home loss to the Oilers was a low point in a season full of them. The first period was competitive - then Edmonton exploded for six goals in the second.
And they did it without Leon Draisaitl, who was away for personal reasons. That’s how far Vancouver has fallen: a team without one of the league’s best players still ran them out of their own building.
The Canucks’ fall from playoff hopeful to lottery favorite has been swift and unforgiving. They’re now in prime position to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft - a spot they’ve never won outright in franchise history. The closest they came was in 1999, when they held the top pick before trading down to select the Sedin twins at two and three.
What started as a reset now feels like a full-scale collapse. Rogers Arena has lost its buzz.
Attendance is down. The early-season optimism that followed management’s shakeups has vanished.
And for a fanbase promised a sustainable contender, this season has become a nightly reminder of how fragile that foundation really was.
What They Said…
Kris Knoblauch, Oilers Head Coach, on his team stepping up in Draisaitl’s absence:
“When you’re missing a key player, somebody really important to your team, it just seems like everyone steps their game up.
They galvanize and play together - and that was tonight. Across our lineup, so many guys played one of their best games.”
Knoblauch also acknowledged Draisaitl’s absence:
“Obviously, we’re missing Leon, and we definitely like to have him here.
We’re thinking about him and his family right now. But we’ll definitely welcome him back.”
Darnell Nurse, on bouncing back from a 1-0 loss earlier in the week:
“We felt decent about Thursday, but when you don’t get the result, you always feel like there’s more you could’ve done.
But we didn’t overreact. We stuck with our game, played smart, and supported each other.
It started on defense, and once we got rolling offensively, we didn’t force anything. Just a lot of good habits - now we’ve got to keep it going.”
Tyler Myers, on the Canucks’ defensive breakdown:
“We just have too many mental lapses throughout the 60 minutes, and it costs us.
Nobody likes to lose. We’ve talked about it in the room - we can’t get complacent or feel sorry for ourselves.
That’s a recipe for disaster. We’ve got to come in the next day, get to work, and stay positive.”
Jack Roslovic, on building chemistry with rookies Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie:
“Our mindset is simple: go to the net, get pucks to the net.
We’ve been trying to simplify our game. It’s not just tonight - we’ve been working hard the last few games to get one to go in.
Tonight, we saw a few go, so hopefully that gives us a little more confidence.”
On Savoie’s growth:
“He’s very skilled. People haven’t really seen it yet, but we’re trying to find that balance between letting that skill shine and playing the right way for the team.”
Kasperi Kapanen, on the team rallying without Draisaitl:
“I like where our team’s at right now.
Everyone’s stepping up. We miss Leo, and we’re thinking about him and his family, so we were definitely playing for him today.
That second period was really strong for us.”
Kapanen also pointed to the team’s consistency:
“Even in the Islanders game we lost, I thought we played pretty solid.
So we want to keep this momentum going. Tomorrow’s going to be tough - back-to-backs always are - but we’re ready.”
Up Next…
The Oilers won’t have much time to enjoy the win. They’re right back at it Sunday against the St.
Louis Blues in what will be a milestone night for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 2011 first-overall pick is set to skate in his 1,000th NHL game - all with Edmonton - making him the first player in franchise history to hit that number entirely in an Oilers sweater.
Sunday’s game also kicks off an eight-game homestand that will carry Edmonton nearly to the Olympic break. Between now and then, they’ve got just one road game left - a February 4 matchup in Calgary against the Flames.
For the Oilers, momentum is building. For the Canucks, the search for answers continues.