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The Vancouver Canucks have watched the entire trajectory of the franchise completely be upended in just one year. Last May, the Canucks had just taken the Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and looked like they were going to be contenders for years to come.
Fast forward 12 months, and the organization is looking for answers after a 38-30-14 campaign that saw the club miss the playoffs. JT Miller is no longer part of the equation after being traded to the New York Rangers after a mid-season rift with Elias Pettersson, who is making $11.6 million until 2032 but just had the worst offensive year of his career with just 45 points in 64 games.
To make matters worse, head coach Rick Tocchet left the team this offseason, turning down a lucrative extension and instead choosing to join the Philadelphia Flyers.
In the span of a dreadful 12 months, not only has the outlook become worse, but as Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported, Vancouver is no longer an attractive destination for free agents.
“Elliotte Friedman on top free agents don't want to sign in Vancouver: No doubt what happened this season has hurt their standing around the league, also the Quinn Hughes uncertainty, if your signing long term in VAN, you probably want to know about Hughes future,” Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal wrote on social media on Monday.
Canucks absolutely need to re-sign Quinn Hughes
Friedman pointed out that the internal rift between Pettersson and Miller has steered players away from wanting to sign in British Columbia. But the other big question mark hovering over the team is the future of the superstar defenseman, who won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24.
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Hughes was given the Canucks' captaincy and was expected to be a massive part of the organization's future. But the way things have gone, there's no guarantee he will re-sign when his contract expires at the conclusion of the 2026-27 campaign.
If Hughes leaves, it would completely gut the franchise. He's been a heart and soul player since being selected No. 7 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, but it's been speculated that he might want to go and play with his brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey at some point in his career.
The Canucks cannot afford to lose Hughes, but only the 25-year-old can decide whether or not he will continue calling Vancouver home for the long haul. Still, that will certainly affect any top free agent thinking about potentially signing in Vancouver.
The front office are also unable to provide a definitive answer regarding that this summer, as they cannot negotiate an extension with the former 92-point scorer for another year.
Hughes is one of the best defensemen in the National Hockey League and someone who simply cannot be replaced. The 2025-26 season is going to be critical to determining whether he will stay, and if the team misses the playoffs in back-to-back years, it'll be unlikely.
It'll be interesting to see what general manager Patrik Allvin does on the free agent market on July 1, and whether he tries to improve the team through trades as well before training camp.
