Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Assign Jiri Patera To AHL
In Thatcher Demko’s absence, the Canucks appear intent on not having just one player serving as Kevin Lankinen’s backup. Instead, their goalie swapping continues as the team announced (Twitter link) that Nikita Tolopilo has been recalled from AHL Abbotsford while Jiri Patera has been sent back to Abbotsford.
Tolopilo struggled mightily during his latest recall earlier this month as he allowed six goals to both Montreal and Edmonton. That brought his NHL totals this season to a 3.98 GAA and a .881 SV% in six outings. He fared a little better in the minors after being sent down last weekend, allowing five goals on 54 shots in two starts since last weekend’s demotion. Over the year with them, Tolopilo has a 2.94 GAA and a .901 SV% in 13 games.
As for Patera, he didn’t see any NHL action over the past week while up with Vancouver and he has made just one appearance with them this season, allowing seven goals in a loss to Florida. The 26-year-old has been Abbotsford’s top performer in goal, posting a 2.49 GAA with a .915 SV% in 16 outings with them and will now get some game action in after last playing on January 16th.
With no proven player capable of stepping into that interim number two role, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if these two netminders get flipped once again before the Olympic break next month.
Myers Wants To Stay In Vancouver, Chytil Denies Having Had Eight Concussions Already
With the Canucks heading for another postseason miss, they’re a team that’s expected to move out more veterans before the March 6th trade deadline. But one veteran who doesn’t want to be on the move is defenseman Tyler Myers. He told reporters including Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province that there’s “no question” that he wants to stay in Vancouver. The 35-year-old is in his seventh season with the Canucks and has largely played on the second pairing during that time, a role he still holds now. With one year left on his deal at an affordable $3MM, Myers is someone that teams will undoubtedly be inquiring about. However, he does control his fate this season with a full no-move clause; that protection dips to a 12-team no-trade list in July, however.
- Still with the Canucks, center Filip Chytil met with the media yesterday (video link) before his return to the lineup. One thing he wanted to set the record straight on is the number of concussions he’s had. While speculation has suggested the number could be as high as eight, Chytil stated that he hasn’t had quite that many, though he declined to set the record straight on just how many he has dealt with. Head injuries (concussion or otherwise) have been an issue for the 26-year-old, especially in recent years as he has been limited to just 73 games since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Elias Pettersson Has Little Interest In Waiving NMC
As the Vancouver Canucks enter a turning point for the organization, much has been made of the trade candidacy of center Elias Pettersson. Multiple teams have shown interest in the former 102-point scorer, but there are no reports of any substantial developments.
If the Canucks cannot find a suitable trade partner that Pettersson would consider, or if he simply does not want to leave Vancouver, he has the right to block the trade. Pettersson has a full no-movement clause in his contract, and it will remain through the 2031-32 NHL season.
Stars, Avalanche Among Favorites To Acquire Canucks’ Evander Kane
The Vancouver Canucks are once again busying up with the Trade Deadline around the corner. A focal point this year could be moving winger Evander Kane, who joined Vancouver in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers at the 2025 NHL Draft. After not clicking in the Canucks lineup, Kane could be headed across the Western Conference, with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche currently the favorites to make a trade per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.
Despite spending his junior hockey days in Vancouver, Kane hasn’t found much spark in his return to the city. He has nine goals, 57 penalty minutes, and a minus-18 in 49 games with the Canucks. He’s filled an important role in the lineup – averaging 16:55 in ice time each game, sixth among Canucks forwards – but Kane has ended up one of a few sputtering tires on Vancouver’s flanks. The club traded cornerstone defenseman Quinn Hughes earlier this season and could soon do the same with top center Elias Pettersson. With a teardown in progress, a part with the veteran Kane seems only natural.
Just as fitting are the teams in the mix for landing the former Atlanta Thrasher top pick. Both Dallas and Colorado have proved to be a comfortable spot for aging veterans. The Stars have continued to get the most out of franchise icons Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, while Colorado has leaned on big impacts from Jonathan Drouin and Brock Nelson in recent years. Kane’s game has noticeably slowed down on the other side of 30 but still plays a professional style that could click in the right system. He has offered reliable goal-scoring throughout his career, netting at least 20 goals in nine of his last 13 seasons in the league. He has also recorded at least 80 penalty minutes in seven seasons.
That mix of grit and shooting – as well as Kane’s 979 games of NHL experience – will be what the Central Division rivals eye as they try to find a trade. Kane is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, which should keep his price low. Dallas has two second round picks, and one third round pick, in the next two drafts, while Colorado only has two second-round picks in 2027. Those could end up the bartering chips in a deal and Dallas holds the taller stack.
Colorado’s advantage comes in the finance books. The Avalanche will have roughly $5.089MM in cap space at the Trade Deadline, while the Stars will only have $3.267MM in space per PuckPedia. That means that Colorado will only need some cap juggling to afford adding Kane, while Dallas will need to move a minor contract.
Acquiring Kane will surely fit into a larger scheme for both teams, who seem set to buy at the Deadline after hot starts to the season. Kane will step in as a middle-six winger wherever he ends up. Joining a team headed for playoff success may even spark a final hoorah for Kane. He proved to be a hard playoff opponent in four years with the Edmonton Oilers, where he recorded 42 points and 164 penalty minutes in 68 games. That grit, and the spark of a recent move, could make Kane a timely addition in the second half.
Canucks To Activate Filip Chytil
According to Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army, the Vancouver Canucks are expected to activate forward Filip Chytil for tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils. Nobody from the Canucks has confirmed the news, though head coach Adam Foote indicated that there’s a good chance he’ll return against New Jersey.
Chytil, 26, will return after missing more than three months of action. He has resumed skating over the last few days, with reports from a few days ago revealing that he was a full participant at Vancouver’s practice.
Still, there’s unfortunately no guarantee that he’ll remain healthy throughout the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign or beyond. In fact, it may be time to start asking whether or not Chytil should continue his NHL career for the sake of his long-term future.
By the time that Chytil had reached his sixth season as a full-time player for the New York Rangers, he had already suffered four concussions. The last one was endured during the 2023-24 campaign, when the former 21st overall pick was limited to 10 games. He returned for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, registering zero points in six appearances.
Heading into the 2024-25 campaign as healthy as he could be, Chytil had already lost his future with the Rangers. New York traded him to Vancouver later that season in the deal that brought J.T. Miller back to the Big Apple.
Unfortunately, his move to British Columbia didn’t alleviate any of his proclivity toward concussions. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks in mid-March, Chytil suffered another concussion and missed the remainder of the regular season for the Canucks.
Finally looking to gain some consistency with his new organization, Chytil scored three goals in six games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Once again, this time against the Washington Capitals, Chytil suffered another concussion, which has cost him over half the season. Despite being on the Canucks for nearly a year, Chytil has registered only four goals and nine points in 21 games.
Canucks Activate Teddy Blueger, Reassign Arshdeep Bains
Set to host Washington tonight, the Vancouver Canucks announced that Arshdeep Bains has been reassigned to AHL Abbotsford. The transaction aligns with word that Teddy Blueger is set to return from injured reserve, as Head Coach Adam Foote told reporters today, including Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet650.
Blueger is expected to return as third line center tonight not having played since October. Listed at the time with an undisclosed injury, it was not necessarily expected back then for the 31-year-old to miss half the campaign.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Blueger has been listed as a possible trade candidate, especially considering such a thin center market. Currently last in the league by a considerable margin, things have obviously soured since the last time Blueger was in action, where his Canucks were 4-2-0 out of the gate. Now finally healthy, he may make his case for a deal to a contender.
Meanwhile, it has been an eventful last two months for Bains, as the 25-year-old cleared waivers and was sent down in December, only to be recalled on January 2 after netting six points in five AHL games. The call up corresponded with Marco Rossi’s placement on injured reserve.
Bains managed to skate in two games last week, hovering around the 10:00 mark between each, and finishing a -3 combined. Across his 28 total games on the year, the winger has five points. Undrafted, the British Columbia native figures to be organizational depth, currently in his fourth year with the Canucks, and signed through 2026-27. At the AHL level, Bains is considerably more productive, nearly reaching the point-per-game mark in the last two seasons, and helping lead Abbotsford to a Calder Cup title last year.
San Jose Sharks Acquire Kiefer Sherwood
One of the trade deadline’s most sought-after rentals is now off the board. The Vancouver Canucks announced that they’ve traded winger Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Cole Clayton, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
The Sharks’ interest in Sherwood has been known for some time. In late December, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that San Jose was one of the teams involved in Sherwood’s market.
Given the capital needed to acquire Sherwood, it would make sense for the Sharks to begin extension negotiations immediately. The Canucks were known to have been seeking a first-round pick for Sherwood’s services, though acquiring two second-round picks is hardly settling. Still, even if he is only a rental, Sherwood’s particular brand of hockey should help the Sharks considerably as they look to return to the postseason for the first time in seven years.
Vancouver originally signed Sherwood ahead of the 2024-25 season to a two-year, $3MM agreement. Their inspiration for signing him came a year earlier, when Sherwood, then playing for the Nashville Predators, totalled 33 hits against the Canucks in the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. He finished the campaign with 10 goals and 27 points in 68 games.
His offense continued to develop in British Columbia. Throughout the past year-and-a-half with the Canucks, Sherwood has been a reliable scorer, registering 36 goals and 63 points in 122 games. Additionally, his physicality has truly been off the charts, averaging 5.5 hits per game — 672 in total.
That makes his fit with the Sharks remarkably clear. Outside of Ryan Reaves, who has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions, and Ty Dellandrea, who is currently on the team’s injured reserve, San Jose doesn’t have too many physical forwards in their lineup. Additionally, the team desperately needed to add secondary scoring behind phenom Macklin Celebrini.
Given their value to the team, Sherwood would be a perfect option to play on the top line next to Celebrini and Will Smith, allowing the Sharks to shelter some of their younger wingers on the bottom two lines. If opposing teams aim to counter Celebrini and Smith physically, San Jose can now respond similarly.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the transaction, the Canucks continue to grow their stockpile of draft picks. Entering the season with five picks in the upcoming draft, Vancouver now has seven this year, and eight next.
Clayton, 25, is a big-bodied right-handed shot defenseman. A product of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers program, Clayton had spent the last four years with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters before signing with the Sharks last summer. Throughout his five-year professional career, the Alberta native has scored 14 goals and 66 points in 257 games with a -13 rating.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Red Wings Interested In Canucks’ Elias Pettersson
As the Vancouver Canucks look to retool their roster, speculation has begun to grow surrounding the availability of forward Elias Pettersson. Speaking on Sportsnet’s Canucks Central last week, Frank Seravalli reported that the Detroit Red Wings are one of the interested teams if Vancouver becomes serious about moving Pettersson.
The news follows a report from last week indicating that the Canucks are willing to consider offers for Pettersson, although they are not yet actively committed to trading him. Regardless, given the multiple hurdles present in his contract, trading Pettersson would be one of the most complicated in-season trades to manufacture, and is likely better suited for an offseason move.
In our write-up, PHR’s Ethan Hetu clearly articulated these hurdles, saying, “Pettersson’s situation is quite a bit more complicated. First and foremost, the full no-move clause on his $11.6MM AAV deal gives the player and his representatives (led by CAA’s Pat Brisson) full control over where he is dealt to. Pettersson needs to sign off on any trade before it can be completed.”
Still, of all the competitive teams this season, the Red Wings are one of the few that could add Pettersson’s large cap hit outright. Additionally, given their success with Swedish players for the last three decades, Pettersson may be more apt to sign off on a trade to HockeyTown.
Pettersson’s fit in Detroit’s lineup is less obvious. Even with a return to his 2022-23 form, there’s no chance he’d usurp Dylan Larkin as the Red Wings’ top center, meaning he would become one of, if not the highest-paid, second-line center in the league. Throughout the past two years with Vancouver, Pettersson has scored 28 goals and 74 points in 104 games played, whereas Larkin has registered 54 goals and 114 points in 132 contests.
This season, the team has been utilizing Andrew Copp to center their second forward unit. Although he’s been best used as a third-line center for most of his career, he’s been one of the league’s top scorers for over a month. Since the calendar turned to December, Copp has scored seven goals and 21 points in 24 games with a 51.2% faceoff percentage, giving Detroit a formidable duo in their top six.
Furthermore, and what is the most important point for Detroit specifically, is that General Manager Steve Yzerman has historically held his cards very close to the vest. Given that there have been very few leaks coming from the Red Wings organization since Yzerman took over, a larger grain of salt must be consumed when Detroit is tied to a particular player. Still, given their lack of moves at recent trade deadlines and current spot in the standings, it would make a ton of sense for the Red Wings to take a shot or two leading up to this year’s deadline.
Assessing The Canucks’ Direction
Reports surfaced earlier this month that the Canucks had re-engaged in contract talks with pending free-agent forward Kiefer Sherwood and were discussing a potential five- or six-year deal worth over $4MM per season. It’s hard to say whether the reports had merit, or whether the Canucks were serious about retaining Sherwood – or merely posturing to get a better trade return before the trade deadline.
Regardless of their true intentions, the Canucks’ direction is tough to figure out. They currently sit last in the NHL standings and, since New Year’s Day, are 0-7-2 and have been outscored 40-14. They don’t appear close to a winning run, yet there is little talk of a sell-off or a pivot into a rebuild. Their fans certainly like to talk on social media about embracing the tank, and the Canucks are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Elias Pettersson.
The truth about Vancouver is that it’s been a mess, off and on, for the better part of the last 10 to 15 years, from the top of the organization down to the players. There have been highs and moments of hope when it looked like the team was on the cusp of greatness, but those highs have been short-lived, followed by rapid declines.
The last two years are a clear example: the Canucks went from a team that was a win away from the Western Conference Final to one that missed the playoffs last season and appears destined to do the same this year. Those falls aren’t all that common (although the Rangers are living through a familiar descent) and are generally the result of self-inflicted missteps or a run of terrible luck.
In Vancouver’s case, it appears to be a mix of both, but there is no doubt that the J.T. Miller/Pettersson rift did irreparable damage that could have long-standing effects on Vancouver’s locker room.
Miller’s departure should have signaled the Canucks’ direction. Still, a quick trade for defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor then implied that Vancouver intended to compete for a playoff spot last season, and the subsequent re-signing of both players certainly reinforced that notion.
Internal and external pressures aside, the trade to bring in Pettersson and O’Connor added to the Canucks’ depth, and they shed some bad contracts (Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais) in the deal with Pittsburgh. But the trades showed a lack of direction for Vancouver, and that carried into last year’s trade deadline as well as the summer, when the Canucks showed a lack of forward thinking. All of that leads us to this season, where Vancouver has spun its wheels despite rostering an ageing, expensive core.
The Miller trade to the Rangers had to happen, and while the return wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful either, as Miller has struggled to regain his form in the Big Apple. But the moves that followed the trade felt reactionary and forced, and ultimately proved in vain.
Pettersson was a top-pairing defender in Pittsburgh, but this season with the Canucks has been perhaps the worst of his career. The 29-year-old looks to be a shell of his former self and, like many players in Vancouver, has been terrible.
O’Connor has been fine in Vancouver, tallying 10 goals and seven assists in 47 games thus far while continuing to use his speed and size to be disruptive on the forecheck. That move, while tainted by Pettersson’s play this year, made sense at the time, but as the Canucks approached the trade deadline, some of management’s decision-making left a lot to be desired.
There was a moment after the Miller trade when the Canucks could have pivoted to a quick retool that might have been tough to stomach for the rest of last year and this season, but it would likely have yielded results next season. Instead, the Canucks did what they did, extended both Pettersson and O’Connor, and inked backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a deal that pays him $4.5MM per season for five years. All of it was reactionary, in the hope of getting the Canucks into the postseason last year. They didn’t.
The Canucks also tried to trade Brock Boeser last year at the deadline, but weren’t able to come to terms on a deal. It seemed all but certain he would bolt elsewhere in free agency last summer, but there he was on July 1, surprisingly signing a seven-year agreement with Vancouver that appears set to age like milk.
The Canucks added to their forward depth in another move, acquiring Evander Kane via trade from Edmonton. It was an acceptable deal in a vacuum; however, given Vancouver’s overall roster construction, it was a head-scratcher, as the Canucks used much of their cap space to fix the wing while watching their already thin center position get worse when Pius Suter departed in free agency.
Vancouver spent the rest of the summer making small roster changes in hopes that the core would find its mojo again. Still, a few months into the season, it was clear that wasn’t going to happen, which sparked trade rumours for their star defenseman, Quinn Hughes, whom they eventually dealt to Minnesota towards the end of 2025. The Hughes deal was actually a great haul for Vancouver given the circumstances, but it has officially put them into a hybrid retool that probably should’ve happened a year ago.
Hindsight is 20/20, but had Vancouver pivoted in early 2025 after trading Miller, they might have avoided some of the mistakes they’ve made over the past year, which have effectively set them back a few years. Instead, Vancouver is locked into long-term deals with underperforming forwards, a talented yet expensive goalie tandem that has injury and inconsistency issues, and a defense core that is now average at best.
Sure, they do have some nice young players who will likely become NHLers, but they will be surrounded by an old, pricey core unless the Canucks can start moving out from under some of the contracts they’ve locked in. No one is taking Boeser’s deal this year; the same could probably be said for Elias Pettersson’s.
But Vancouver could move their pending UFAs before the trade deadline and have nearly $17MM in cap space next summer to sign just two roster players (as per PuckPedia). That type of wiggle room could allow for additions before next season, but it’s not clear whether Vancouver should do that in the midst of what appears to be either a retool or a rebuild.
Patience might be the best thing for the president of hockey ops, Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin to exercise, but given their track records, that has not been their strong suit, and it is a big part of the reason the Canucks find themselves where they are.
Canucks Getting Calls On Garland; Chytil And Blueger Close To Returning
Canucks winger Conor Garland has been generating several inquiries lately, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). While Vancouver has shifted into a rebuild of sorts, Pagnotta adds that Vancouver isn’t necessarily looking to move him but will listen to inquiries. The 29-year-old has seven goals and 15 assists in 37 games so far this season in the final season of his current deal that carries a $4.95MM cap charge. However, he has already signed a six-year, $36MM extension that will begin in 2026-27 so any interested teams would know they’ll need to take on that sizable commitment.
- Still with the Canucks, they could be getting some good news soon on the injury front. Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma notes (Twitter link) that centers Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger were full participants at practice and are nearing returns. Chytil has only played in six games this season (where he has three goals) and has been sidelined with a concussion for the last three months. Blueger has been out just as long with a lower-body injury. After also being injured to start the year, he has only been able to play twice so far in 2025-26. A pending UFA, Blueger is a strong trade candidate if he’s able to stay healthy between now and the trade deadline in early March.