The Vancouver Canucks have nowhere to go but up after a disastrous 2025-26 season, and the bar for 2026-27 is simple: don’t finish last again.
A year ago, Vancouver sank to the bottom of the NHL with a 25-49-8 record for 58 points. The numbers around that collapse were just as ugly, with a minus-100 goal differential and a 9-27-5 home mark. That kind of season demanded a reset, and the organization has tried to deliver one.
Ryan Johnson is now the general manager, the Sedins are co-presidents, and former player Manny Malhotra is taking over as head coach. That combination gives the Canucks a very different tone heading into 2026-27, and it opens the door to a meaningful jump in the standings.
The target is not a playoff push right away. It’s a step out of the basement.
If Vancouver can turn 25 wins into 32, that alone would add 14 points in the standings. Add 12 overtime or shootout losses, and the Canucks would land at 32-40-12. That’s still a losing record, but it would also mean 76 points - an 18-point gain over last season’s total.
That kind of improvement would not guarantee a rise out of the league’s bottom tier, especially with the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, and Toronto Maple Leafs all coming off finishes in the bottom five as well. But there is at least a path for Vancouver to climb into the 24th-to-28th range if the team responds to the new leadership.
The offense has a long way to go, too. Elias Pettersson led the Canucks in points with 51, well short of the 89 he posted in 2023-24. Jake DeBrusk led the club with 23 goals, and only four of those came at 5-on-5.
That’s why the culture change matters as much as the roster numbers. Malhotra’s arrival could be the spark Vancouver needs after two straight seasons of disappointment.
No one is pretending this has to be the year the Canucks suddenly turn into a contender. But even in the middle of a rebuild that could stretch five years, moving from 58 points to 76 would be a real sign of progress.
For Vancouver, that’s the mission in 2026-27: start climbing.
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Canucks Face A Jake DeBrusk Decision That Wont Go Away
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Pagnottas read is tied to the fit between DeBrusks contract and the teams competitive window, which makes the situation harder to ignore as the Canucks weigh their next steps. For now, it sounds like Vancouver is waiting for the right deal rather than forcing one, but the fact that this possibility keeps resurfacing says plenty about how the front office may be viewing the roster. [Read more 🡒]