The Vancouver Canucks are staring at a brutal start, and the record says it plainly: 3-14-1, four straight losses, last place, and two points back of the Chicago Blackhawks heading into Saturday night’s action.
That’s the part fans can see every night. The part they’re supposed to swallow is the bigger picture - the idea that all this losing is part of a rebuild with a payoff waiting somewhere down the road. But there’s always a line, and Vancouver supporters are well within their rights to wonder whether this much pain is going to amount to anything real.
The logic of tanking is simple enough. Finish low, improve your draft lottery odds, and try to land the kind of player who can change the direction of the franchise.
The problem is that the NHL doesn’t hand out guarantees with that process. Last season was a reminder of that, with the Canucks holding the best odds but watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks jump them for the top pick.
That’s why the focus has shifted toward what might still be available in the pipeline. Gavin McKenna would have been the kind of prize that could at least make the suffering feel more justified, even if he wouldn’t have turned Vancouver into a playoff team overnight. But Toronto won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, and the McKenna path is gone.
So now the attention lands on Landon DuPont.
The 17-year-old is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. After a stint with the Everett Silvertips, he moved to the NCAA and headed to Michigan, where he has eight assists in his first eight college games. He’s a Calgary native, and the comparison that hangs over him is another Calgary defenseman, Cale Makar.
No one is calling DuPont Makar yet. But Corey Pronman’s projections have him in that neighborhood, and that alone gives Vancouver something to cling to while the losses pile up.
If the Canucks are going to endure a season like this, they need the rebuild to point toward something tangible. DuPont may be the best chance for that silver lining.
In Other News...
Canucks Keep Sliding After Another Frustrating Loss To Edmonton
The Canucks latest trip through Edmonton brought another familiar result, as they fell 4-2 at Rogers Place and watched Leon Draisaitl steer the Oilers with two goals and an assist. Mattias Ekholm and Jason Dickinson also scored for Edmonton, while Max Sasson and Brock Boeser supplied Vancouvers offense in a game that again left the Canucks chasing from behind against one of the Western Conferences top teams.
For Vancouver, the bigger concern is the slide itself. The loss was the clubs fifth straight, and the standings continue to reflect how far the season has drifted off course at 3-15-1. Edmonton, meanwhile, keeps piling up points and looking every bit like a team built to stay near the top, which only sharpens the contrast for a Canucks group still searching for any kind of reset. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Make Another Lineup Shakeup For Heated Oilers Matchup
The Canucks are making another round of lineup tweaks for a matchup that already carries plenty of edge against Edmonton. Tom Willander will sit out for a third straight game even after joining the team for practice, leaving Vancouver to shuffle its defensive pairings again as it tries to settle things down on the back end.
Up front, Arshdeep Bains is getting a look on the top line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, a notable change for a group still searching for the right mix. In goal, Leevi Merilinen is slated to start for the second game in a row, giving Vancouver a familiar option as it heads into another test against the Oilers. [Read more 🡒]
Abbotsfords Surge Is Giving Canucks Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
The Abbotsford Canucks have given Vancouver fans something useful to watch early in the 2026-27 season, and it is not just a hot start in the standings. Abbotsford has ripped off an eight-game winning streak overall, opened with five straight home victories and climbed to second in the AHL Pacific Division while building the kind of momentum that tends to get noticed up the organizational ladder.
What makes the run more interesting is how steady it has looked from night to night, with the wins not leaning on the same script every time. Abbotsford is also closing in on its franchise mark for longest home winning streak, a sign that this is more than a brief burst of form and more the kind of stretch that can start to shape expectations for the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]