The Vancouver Canucks are nearly 20 games into the 2026-27 season, and the early read is ugly enough to invite some loud conclusions. At this point, though, the conversation isn’t just about how bad they’ve been - it’s about how bad they might actually be.
Right now, Vancouver sits at the bottom of the standings, and the only reason the gap there isn’t even wider is that the Chicago Blackhawks have been just as rough. The Canucks are tracking toward a 31-point season, which would be the worst mark since the 1989-90 Quebec Nordiques.
That’s not just a slow start. That’s historically bleak.
And this doesn’t look like some weird stretch of bad puck luck. The Canucks have been getting crushed in all the areas that matter, especially when it comes to limiting chances and goals against. The roster explains a lot of it: there isn’t much top-end talent, the depth is thin, and some of the players outperforming expectations are still very inexperienced.
Still, there has been one clear bright spot, and it’s Elias Pettersson. After a full offseason of trade chatter, questions about his role, and nonstop debate about where he fit, he has come out flying. He’s producing at a point-per-game pace, which stands out even more on a team with so little around him.
Pettersson’s game has also taken on a different edge. He’s been more active in the dirty areas, and while that part of his game was always a little underrated, people are noticing it more now.
He is on pace to lead all forwards in blocked shots for a second straight season, which is a serious number for a player best known for skill. He’s also been more willing to mix it up physically, even briefly leading the NHL in hits for about a week to open the season.
He still has 39 hits, good for third on the team, and that would have sounded hard to believe before the year began. For now, he looks every bit like a star again, and he seems to fit well under head coach Manny Malhotra.
The Canucks’ blue line, meanwhile, is not giving them the kind of foundation they need. What looked like a group that might be passable has been much less than that.
Zeev Buium has been underwhelming, while Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson have shown promise without looking like true top-pairing pieces. Filip Fiip Hronek is there too, but even at his best he feels more like a number-two defender.
That’s why the idea of landing Landon DuPont is so appealing, even if fans have every reason to be skeptical about the NHL Draft Lottery ever breaking their way. DuPont, the consensus first-overall pick in 2027, has long carried the reputation of a future franchise defenseman after receiving exceptional status in 2024.
He would fit exactly what this team is missing. The current state of Vancouver’s defense only makes that need look even bigger.
There’s also a case to be made that Jonathan Lekkerimaki is becoming one of the best players from the 2022 Draft. That class has not exactly been a gold mine, especially in the first round, and Lekkerimaki is already climbing the list.
He has the fourth-most points in the class this season, trailing only Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier, and Lane Hutson. He also sits two points ahead of Juraj Slafkovsky, the class’ first-overall pick.
For a player who had been limited by injuries and looked raw for stretches, this is a meaningful step forward. Lekkerimaki is now third on the Canucks in points and tied for second in goals, and he’s giving the team real production instead of just long-term hope.
A lot of people would have been ready to call him a bust before this season. Instead, he’s making the Canucks look right for taking him 15th overall.
None of this changes the bigger picture: Vancouver still has a long way to go, and the standings probably won’t get much kinder. But there’s enough season left for the Canucks to steady things, look less historically bad, and keep using this year for what it is - a rebuild built around growth, buy-in, and whatever progress this young group can scrape together.
In Other News...
Canucks Drop Sixth Straight As Late Push Still Falls Short
A late surge gave Vancouver a chance to claw back into it, but the Canucks still came away with a 3-1 loss to the Flyers and their sixth straight defeat. Michael Bunting and Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia before Jonathan Lekkerimaki got Vancouver on the board, while Joseph Woll stopped 18 shots and Leevi Merilainen made 14 saves in a game where the Canucks again had to chase from behind.
Lekkerimakis goal at least gave Vancouver something to build on after a frustrating night, but the margin never fully closed and the Flyers were able to protect the lead down the stretch. Travis Sanheim added the final insurance marker in the closing minute, leaving the Canucks with another missed chance to interrupt the skid as the losses keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Fans Need To See What Zayne Parekh Is Becoming
Zayne Parekhs second season has started to look a lot more like the version Calgary hoped it was drafting. The young defenseman leads the Flames blue line in scoring with two goals and eight points in 18 games, and the bigger story is that his all-around game has taken a real step forward from his rookie year. His defensive numbers have also improved over the last 13 games, with a 55.5% chance ratio and a 2.01 expected goals against rate, signs that he is doing more than just jumping into the rush.
The next test is coming quickly. Parekh has benefited from a softer deployment so far, but the Flames are about to need more from him after Kevin Bahl was lost for the season, which should push Parekh higher in the rotation and into tougher matchups. For Calgary, the question is no longer whether he can help offensively. It is how fast he can handle the heavier defensive load that usually comes with being trusted on a contending blue line. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Make A Desperate Lineup Bet As Skid Drags On
The Canucks are trying a new look as their skid continues, with Jonathan Lekkerimki set to skate on the top line alongside Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser against the Philadelphia Flyers. It is the kind of lineup shuffle that signals a team searching for a spark, and it comes with Leevi Merilinen starting in goal for a third straight game as Vancouver keeps leaning on the young netminder.
The changes also come with the roster still thinned out, as Tom Willander and Filip Chytil are expected to miss the game. For a club already pressing to steady itself, the absences leave even less margin for error and put more weight on the new combinations to deliver something different. [Read more 🡒]