The Canucks have had plenty of nights where one opponent just seems to take over, and a handful of active players have made a habit of doing exactly that to Vancouver. Some have piled up the points.
Others have delivered in the playoffs. A few have done both.
Connor McDavid sits at the top of the list for a reason. Against the Canucks, he has 75 points in 46 regular-season games, with 24 goals and 51 assists.
That’s his highest point total against any opponent, and his goal total against Vancouver is second only to what he’s done against the Calgary Flames. He also owns his highest totals in shots and faceoff wins against the Canucks, which only adds to how relentlessly he’s controlled those matchups.
Leon Draisaitl has been just as punishing, especially when the Oilers and Canucks have crossed paths in big moments. He leads all active players in goals against Vancouver with 29, and his 33 assists push him to 62 points overall, the second-highest mark among active players.
His most damaging stretch came in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he posted three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in a seven-game series. That run left a lasting mark on Vancouver.
Patrick Kane has carved up the Canucks in a different way, but the damage is just as clear. In the playoffs, he leads all active NHL players with 22 points in 19 games against Vancouver, and he did it when scoring was harder to come by.
Even in the series where Alex Burrows finally knocked the Blackhawks out, Kane still had six points, tied for the team lead. In the regular season, he’s added 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 51 games, with four game-winning goals.
John Gibson has never looked comfortable for the Canucks. His record against them is 15-5-2 in 23 games, backed by a 2.04 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. He shut Vancouver out in the first two meetings they had against him, and he’s added two more shutouts since then, including one with the Detroit Red Wings last season.
Tyler Toffoli is the one that still stings for some Canucks fans. He was productive in Vancouver, scoring at a point-per-game pace in 10 regular-season games and adding four points in the bubble playoffs despite an injury.
There was reported mutual interest in a reunion, but former Canucks general manager Jim Benning said they “ran out of time” to sign him. Since then, Toffoli has kept causing problems against Vancouver with the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, and Montreal Canadiens.
In 2020-21 with Montreal, he played the Canucks eight times and scored at a goal-per-game pace while piling up 13 points.
Jordan Eberle used to hold the active lead in goals against the Canucks before Draisaitl passed him, and that history fits. He has consistently turned in strong performances against Vancouver while playing for the Oilers and the Seattle Kraken. His résumé against the Canucks includes a hat trick with Edmonton in 2017 and a three-point night for Seattle in 2023.
Every team ends up with opponents who seem to find another gear against them, and Vancouver has seen its share. Elias Pettersson against the Flames and Brock Boeser’s 11 goals in 14 games against the Pittsburgh Penguins are examples that come to mind. But if Canucks fans could pick a lineup to avoid, these six names would probably be near the top of the list.
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Canucks Finally Look Like They Have A Plan Worth Believing
After years of chasing quick fixes, the Canucks are finally operating like a franchise with a coherent direction. Under Ryan Johnson and the Sedins, the organization has leaned into a rebuild, and that matters because it changes the conversation from patching holes to actually building something durable. For a fan base that has seen plenty of short-term swings, the new approach at least gives the roster a clearer purpose and a better chance to grow into itself.
A lot will still depend on whether the pieces they have can hold up and develop, and Filip Chytil is one of the more interesting names in that mix. If he can stay healthy, he could give Vancouver real depth down the middle, which is the kind of support a young team needs when it is trying to turn a reset into a structure. The optimism is real, but so are the usual rebuild questions about development, lineup balance and whether the roster is being built to last. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Are Counting On Jamie Oleksiak For More Than Toughness
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The question for Vancouver is how much of that plan holds up once the season grinds on. Oleksiak brings experience and a useful set of tools, but there are fair concerns about age and durability, especially for a player whose value is tied so closely to being available and dependable. If he stays on the ice, the Canucks have a defender who can stabilize matchups, protect teammates and set a tone. If not, the move becomes a much thinner bet, and one the team will be watching closely well before the 2026-27 season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Have Seen This Front Office Frustration Before
For a team that spent much of the offseason trying to steady the ship, the latest round of league-wide front-office criticism lands with familiar weight in Vancouver. The Canucks are part of a broader conversation about how NHL teams are trying to find the right path forward, and the common threads are hard to miss: a shortage of true star power, uneasy roster construction, and the kind of contract and coaching decisions that can shape a season long before puck drop.
What makes it sting for Vancouver fans is how often these debates circle back to trust. When management is questioned alongside clubs like Seattle, Detroit, Los Angeles and Edmonton, it is usually because the on-ice product has not matched the ambition behind it. For the Canucks, the concern is less about one move than the larger direction of the roster, and whether the front office can give supporters a reason to believe the plan is finally moving the right way. [Read more 🡒]