The Vancouver Canucks were one of the most interesting teams not to make the playoffs in 2024-25. They were in the headlines every week without challenging for a Wild Card spot. A locker-room tiff ended with JT Miller getting traded, while Rick Tocchet bizarrely lost his job. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, how will Vancouver fare? The Canucks bold predictions include a look into the future for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
The Canucks finished the 2024-25 season with 90 points, six points out of the final Wild Card spot. In the offseason, they extended Thatcher Demko, creating an expensive yet steady goaltending room with Kevin Lankinen. They also brought back Brock Boeser on a seven-year contract after rumors swirled that he would leave in unrestricted free agency. How will those moves impact their season?
Here are the Canucks bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
Elias Pettersson bounces back with 100-point season
Elias Pettersson entered March of 2024 with 75 points in 62 games, looking to slam the door on a second consecutive 100-point campaign. The center limped to the finish, with just 14 points in the final 20 regular-season games and six points in 13 postseason games. He had every opportunity to flush that in 2024-25, but failed. He scored 15 goals and 45 points in 62 games, all career lows.
The Canucks will benefit from an incredible bounce-back from Elias Pettersson this year. The 26-year-old will get back to 100 points with his first 40-goal season in 2025-26. They have already paid him like an elite center, with an $11.6 million annual average value, and he needs to live up to that.
Quinn Hughes will sign a new contract with the Canucks
There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. His brother, Devils forward Jack Hughes, fanned the flames when he said he'd love to play with his brother. Quinn, a Norris Trophy winner, has two years left on his deal and could sign an extension as soon as July 1, 2026. He will sign that deal before he lands in free agency in July 2027.
The Canucks need to improve to keep their captain, which is why they made such big swings this offseason. Adam Foote was hired as the head coach because Hughes is a fan of his, according to multiple reports. The future of the organization should be pointed toward keeping Hughes more than anything else.
Hughes will likely set the record for a defenseman's contract when he signs his extension. That record for average annual value is Erik Karlsson's $11.5 million deal. With the salary cap exploding at the perfect time for a new Hughes contract, he should blow that deal out of the water. That is especially true with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov expected to reset the market.
Vancouver returns to the playoffs
The Canucks will have to make the playoffs to keep Hughes. So if they are going to re-sign their captain at the end of the season, they better make the playoffs. The Western Conference is going to be tough, with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights dominating the Pacific Division for years. That makes the path more difficult for Vancouver, but they will make it.
The Canucks will get better goaltending this year, and an offensive bounce-back from Pettersson will shoot their point total up. With Hughes missing 14 games and Pettersson struggling, they finished three games out of the final spot. There are always changes to the playoffs, and the Western Conference changed a lot in the offseason. On paper, the Canucks are a better team than the Los Angeles Kings and the St Louis Blues, which should end in a postseason berth.
