- Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote told the media last night, including The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, that center Elias Pettersson is dealing with an injury and is still being evaluated. Foote added that Pettersson will undergo further testing on Sunday, including an MRI. If the Canucks lose Pettersson for any period of time, their chances of winning games would be dealt a significant blow. For as much criticism as Pettersson has received over the last year, he’s upped his production to start 2025-26. He’s scored 22 points in 28 games this season, and while that’s not at the standard he set when he was a 102-point player in 2022-23, it is an improvement in scoring pace over last season.
Canucks Rumors
Trade Interest In Kiefer Sherwood Reportedly Heating Up
The Vancouver Canucks are considering a significant re-adjustment in their immediate competitive priorities, and one of the first steps in that process is considering trades for the club’s pending unrestricted free agents. One of the top players for the Canucks to shop is veteran winger Kiefer Sherwood, who led the NHL in hits last season and is on pace for a career year offensively. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported this morning that the Canucks are “getting lots of interest” from teams interested in acquiring the veteran winger.
LeBrun specifically named the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens as clubs who have expressed interest in acquiring Sherwood. Sherwood clearly fits the mold of the kind of player Wild GM Bill Guerin appears to covet, as a hard-to-play-against forward who blends relentless physicality with some scoring ability. Both Dallas and Montreal have significant injuries to deal with in their forward groups, something that may ratchet up the pressure on each club to acquire external scoring help. It was previously reported that the Canucks were seeking, at minimum, a second-round pick for Sherwood. The more clubs enter the bidding to acquire the player, the more likely it becomes that the Canucks will be able to ultimately exceed that asking price once they pull the trigger on trading Sherwood.
Hoglander And Demko Could Return Next Thursday
The Canucks could soon be getting some much-needed help on the injury front. Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor notes (Twitter link) that winger Nils Hoglander and goaltender Thatcher Demko could both return next Thursday against Buffalo. Hoglander has yet to play this season while recovering from ankle surgery but has picked up 61 points over the last two years combined. With Vancouver in the bottom third of the league in goals scored, adding some extra secondary scoring would certainly help. Meanwhile, Demko has missed the better part of a month due to a lower-body injury of his own. Prior to the injury, he was off to an okay start to his season with a 2.80 GAA and a .903 SV% in 10 starts.
Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Elias Pettersson
Dec. 4: The demotion for both Pettersson and Tolopilo was brief and solely to get them into game action for Abbotsford last night. The Canucks have added both players back to the active roster today, with Patera being loaned back to the minors in a corresponding move.
Dec. 3: According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Elias N. Pettersson to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The transaction indirectly confirms that the Canucks had previously activated Tolopilo from the non-roster designation.
It’s been nearly 10 days since Tolopilo was initially recalled by the Canucks. Dealing with an injury to Thatcher Demko and a brief leave of absence from Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver had to rely on Tolopilo and Jiří Patera for a short period.
He played relatively well in his first NHL action of the 2025-26 campaign, securing a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on 41 shots. Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to his next start against the San Jose Sharks, where he managed a .875 SV% on 24 shots.
Following the loss to San Jose, Tolopilo took his own leave of absence for the birth of his child and hadn’t played since. He’ll return to Abbotsford, where he’s managed a 1-3-1 record in five games with a .901 SV% while Vancouver moves forward with a combination of Lankinen and Patera for the time being.
Meanwhile, Pettersson will suit up in his first AHL appearance of the season. Cracking the Canucks roster out of training camp, the 21-year-old blueliner has tallied two assists in 24 games with a -6 rating, averaging 13:29 of ice time per night. It’s essentially the same production he provided last season, when he scored one goal and three points in 28 games with a -4 rating while finishing with an ATOI of 12:49.
Simply put, the former 80th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft hasn’t earned a spot on the NHL blue line, even on a disappointing Vancouver team. He’ll look to build confidence and develop in the AHL for the foreseeable future. Unless the Canucks unexpectedly activate Derek Forbort from the LTIR or make a separate call-up, they’ll play their next few contests with six defenseman on the active roster.
Pacific Notes: Sherwood, Strome
On an episode of Sens 1-on-1 last Thursday, Nick Kypreos discussed Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood, noting that the late-bloomer is looking for $5 million or more per season, on a six year deal. Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal also speculated on Sherwood today on the Donnie & Dhali show, saying that Boston and Minnesota are two teams which are in on the pending free agent as a trade target.
With a free agent market which has largely evaporated even before January, Sherwood would be wise to play the long game for a major pay raise. Fully aware of this, and with a team sputtering of late, Vancouver may take advantage of Sherwood’s emergence as well, and get a substantial trade package for a player likely to hit the open market either way.
Sherwood, 30, was undrafted out of Miami (OH) but soon earned his way into a fourth line role with the Ducks in 2018-19. He then had to wait five years to become a full time NHLer again, doing so with Nashville, helping the team surpass expectations. Hitting the market, the winger inked a two year deal worth $1.5MM per season with the Canucks in 2024. He set career highs in games, goals, and assists last season, even breaking the single-season all-time hits record. With 12 goals in 26 games so far, Sherwood has maintained such levels, and the feisty winger may be set on hitting the market and cashing in after a long uphill battle to this point.
With Evander Kane and Derek Forbort’s contracts set to come off the books, in theory Vancouver could make an extension work, but considering their state as a franchise, they may opt to receive a substantial trade package for the 30-year-old. Both Minnesota and Boston own their first-round picks this season, and it’s not hard to imagine Sherwood fetching one, if he can maintain such performance.
Elsewhere in the division:
- Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune shared that veteran Ryan Strome would be a healthy scratch tonight against St. Louis, as young defenseman Ian Moore re-entered the lineup, leaving Anaheim in a 11-forward, 7-defensemen configuration. Strome was injured before the season, but has offered on-track production with three points in nine games since, and solid underlying numbers as a two-way center. The veteran has been remarkably consistent with 41 points exactly in his last three seasons, but such is a bit underwhelming for a $5MM cap hit set to expire in 2027. Strome’s role has simply diminished on a dynamic young team, but it is safe to assume he’s set in Anaheim for now and will return to the lineup soon.
Canucks Recall Jiri Patera
The Canucks are recalling goaltender Jiri Patera from AHL Abbotsford, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. He’s coming up while Nikita Tolopilo takes a brief leave of absence from the club for the birth of his child. Vancouver doesn’t have an open roster spot, but they can move Tolopilo to the non-roster list to make one.
It’s the second time a Vancouver netminder has left the team for personal reasons in the last several days. Kevin Lankinen departed the team on Nov. 25 and missed two games before returning to start against the Kings on Saturday.
Lankinen, Patera, and Tolopilo have been holding the fort in patchwork fashion while Thatcher Demko remains unavailable due to a groin strain. He carries a week-to-week designation and hasn’t played since Nov. 11. His return is still not imminent, and he hasn’t joined the team’s road trip as they wrap it up Tuesday in Colorado, Dhaliwal said.
Lankinen, Demko’s uncontested backup, has seen the vast majority of action during that time. His leave of absence meant Tolopilo got his first two starts of the season last week, though. He faced 65 shots in a win and a loss against the Ducks and Sharks, making 58 saves for a .892 SV%. That was good for 1.3 goals saved above expected behind a taxing defensive workload, per MoneyPuck, a tick more than what Lankinen has provided in 14 appearances this season.
Now, Patera is back to serving as Lankinen’s backup after two previous stints on the active roster in November. His lone start this season came in a wild 8-5 loss to the Panthers on Nov. 17 in which he allowed seven goals on 40 shots for a .825 SV% and -3.4 GSAx. The 26-year-old has been better but not particularly promising in Abbotsford, where he has a .899 SV% and 2.89 GAA in six appearances with a 2-2-2 record. He’ll be headed back there as soon as Tolopilo rejoins the team or Demko is cleared to play, whichever comes first.
Conor Garland Out With Injury
- Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland missed yesterday’s game with an injury, but Friedman reported that the ailment is “not believed to be serious.” Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that Garland’s injury is not concussion-related, and while he will remain with the team for their road trip, he is questionable to play in the Canucks’ next game, Tuesday, in Denver. Garland is a key play-driver for the Canucks and has 15 points in 21 games so far in 2025-26.
Canucks Recall Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Assign Jiri Patera To AHL
The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight against Los Angeles. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki has been recalled from AHL Abbotsford. To make room for him on the roster, goaltender Jiri Patera has been sent down.
Lekkerimaki started the season with Vancouver but suffered an upper-body injury in the fourth game of the season. That landed him on injured reserve for more than three weeks and upon being activated, he was sent to Abbotsford for what felt like a conditioning stint. The 21-year-old played in five games in the AHL and was productive, notching three goals and two assists.
Lekkerimaki has a goal in his four outings at the top level this season in just under 10 minutes a night of playing time. For his career, the 2022 first-round pick has four goals and three assists in 28 NHL outings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him jump right back into a bottom-six role with Lukas Reichel being a candidate to lose his spot once again.
As for Patera, he was brought up on Tuesday when Kevin Lankinen stepped away from the team for a personal matter. He didn’t see any game action on this recall but did get into one game earlier this month where he allowed seven goals on 40 shots. The 26-year-old has a 3.10 GAA and a .894 SV% in five games with Abbotsford. While not announced by the team, this move suggests that Lankinen is back with the team with he and Nikita Tolopilo comprising the tandem that should dress against the Kings.
Lankinen Could Return On Road Trip, Demko And Hoglander To Practice Saturday
- Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen could rejoin the team on their current road trip, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link). It was announced yesterday that he was taking a leave for personal reasons but it appears that his absence will be a short-term one. Meanwhile, MacIntyre adds that their other netminder Thatcher Demko along with winger Nils Hoglander are expected in Los Angeles on Saturday to skate with the team, suggesting they’re nearing a return as well. Vancouver has been decimated with injuries in the early going this season but some help could be on the horizon.
Latest On Vancouver Canucks Direction
Earlier today, we covered reports coming out of Vancouver that the Canucks had made it known across the league that key veteran players, namely, their pending unrestricted free agents, were available to other teams in trade talks. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance provided some more detail on the situation in Vancouver, reporting that the club’s “hockey operations leadership spent much of the day in high-level meetings” and emerged with “a growing belief that the time has come to proactively chart a clear direction for the franchise.” While Drance clarified that the team is unlikely “to publicly brand their overall approach” as a “rebuild,” the Canucks have decided to realign their priorities “into a younger overall direction.”
Perhaps the most alarming element of Drance’s reporting, at least for the Canucks’ short-term future, was his revelation that Canucks management “has seen enough to be skeptical of this group’s urgency and will to win on a consistent basis.” That impacts the Canucks’ immediate planning, as the team had long been rumored to be highly interested in acquiring an NHL-ready second-line center. That has now changed, with Drance writing that “the notion of paying futures for a second-line center upgrade will be off the table for the time being.” The Canucks are in a difficult spot, to be sure, and the looming unrestricted free agency of franchise face Quinn Hughes doesn’t help matters. But at the very least it appears the team is engaging in an honest interrogation of its own competitive chances, one that appears to have led to them selecting a more sustainable path to contention.