One month into the 2026-27 season, the Vancouver Canucks have found a strange kind of competence: they’re losing, but they’re losing in ways that keep people watching.
That matters for a team with a clear draft goal. If Vancouver wants to put itself in position for the 2027 Entry Draft, it needs to keep piling up defeats.
But there’s a difference between bad losses that drain a room and tight ones that still feel alive. So far, the Canucks have done a better job than expected of sticking around, hanging in games, and making defeat feel almost competitive.
The numbers back up the shift. Last season’s club finished at -100.
This group is already at -23, and the blowouts have been kept to a minimum. If a blowout means losing by four goals or more, Vancouver has only suffered twice: a 7-2 loss to the defending Cup champs in Carolina and a 6-2 defeat to JT Miller and the New York Rangers.
So yes, the Canucks are losing plenty. They’re just doing it in a way that feels a lot more watchable than what fans endured a year ago.
The season opened with the template for this new brand of loss. After beating Edmonton 6-5 in overtime on opening night, Vancouver got the full response in the rematch on October 1. The Oilers surged to a 5-0 lead a minute into the second period and were up 8-2 by the halfway mark.
Then the game flipped. Arshdeep Bains scored literally at the last second of the second period, and the Canucks started chipping away.
They ripped off four straight goals and eventually got it to 9-7 on a late Jamie Oleksiak goal. It was chaotic, wild, and every bit as entertaining as the win that came before it.
For people fully committed to the tank, it was probably even better.
Three days later, Vancouver showed a different kind of grit in a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Paul Cotter opened the scoring with his fourth goal in four games, Vegas answered with two goals, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki tied it late in the second period. The Golden Knights quickly responded with what turned out to be the winner, but the Canucks were right there all night and gave themselves chances to find another equalizer.
That same pattern showed up again against former captain Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders. Vancouver fell behind after a brief lapse in the first period, then battled back to tie it in the second. The Islanders regained the lead about five minutes into the third and held on, but the most memorable moment came at the horn: Elias Pettersson set up Marco Rossi for a beautiful finish that went in 0.2 seconds after the game had ended.
It was the kind of loss that can feel almost useful in a rebuild. No points in the standings, but plenty of evidence that the group was still pushing to the very end.
On October 15, the Canucks turned in another close one, this time a 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. Vancouver built a 2-0 lead before Brady Tkachuk took over with a natural hat trick through the third period and into overtime.
Getting a point against Florida was a plus. Losing to Brady Tkachuk specifically made the ending sting a little more.
Two nights later, the Canucks produced the only non-one-goal loss on this list, and even that one had enough fight in it to belong here. Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver jumped out to another 2-0 lead and then spent the rest of the game trying to survive.
The Lightning poured pressure on, the Canucks went into a defensive shell, and the home side managed just five shots on goal in the second period and two in the third. Tampa Bay scored twice in the second and twice in the third to pull it out, but Vancouver’s start and its five-on-five showing made the game feel closer than the final score.
Most recently, the Canucks were at it again against the Sharks. Drew O’Connor and Liam Öhgren staked Vancouver to a 2-0 lead, and for nearly the entire night the team held things together.
Then came the turning point: three goals against in 2:50 in the middle of the third period. Aside from that stretch, the Canucks played about 57 minutes of sound defensive hockey against Macklin Celebrini and the gang.
That’s the odd reality of Vancouver’s first month. The standings still say loss after loss.
But the games themselves keep offering something more than misery. For a team trying to lose a lot without becoming unwatchable, that’s not nothing.
In Other News...
Canucks Let A Winnable Game Slip Away In One Brutal Period
For two periods, the Canucks looked in control against the Sharks, riding a tidy defensive effort and a couple of timely finishes into a 2-0 lead. Elias Pettersson opened the scoring after Jamie Oleksiak made a strong play in the defensive end, and Liam hgren added another in the second period while Leevi Merilinen kept things quiet with several important saves.
Merilinens best work came while Vancouver was killing penalties, where he turned aside multiple looks that could have shifted the game earlier. The night still carried a jolt, though, when Brock Boeser left after taking a shot off his foot, forcing Arshdeep Bains onto the first line and adding another layer of uncertainty to a game the Canucks already let get away in a rough third period. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Suddenly Have A New Lineup Question Up Front
The Canucks made a quick adjustment up front Monday, recalling Jacob Quillan from AHL Abbotsford as they sorted through another injury-related shuffle. Quillan arrived in the organization a few weeks ago in the Aatu Rty deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he has opened his Abbotsford stint well enough to put himself on the radar for a call-up.
Filip Chytil was also moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury, adding another layer of uncertainty to Vancouvers forward group. Chytil has been dealing with injuries, and while he is eligible to return next Thursday, the Canucks now have to navigate the meantime with a fresh look at their depth options. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks May Like This Young Winger More Than His Trade Cost
Ivan Miroshnichenko is the kind of young winger who can intrigue a team looking for upside, and the Canucks have reportedly been among the clubs with interest. The 20-year-old has not yet carved out a full-time NHL role with Washington, but his blend of youth and pedigree makes him a player worth tracking for a Vancouver team always weighing present need against future value.
The challenge, of course, is the price tag. Washington is believed to be asking for at least a first-round pick, which turns a potential buy-low swing into a much bigger decision for Vancouvers front office. If the Canucks are serious, they will have to decide whether Miroshnichenkos long-term promise is worth paying for before he has fully established himself at the NHL level. [Read more 🡒]