12 takeaways from the Canucks’ rollercoaster start of the season

Tatcher Demko has been absent since the start of the season, and we don’t know when he’ll be back. Fortunately, Kevin Lankinen is doing the job so far.

Lankinen has never established himself as a regular NHL goaltender. That said, he’s doing a decent job under the circumstances. But for how long?

That said, the team’s big guns are doing what they have to do at the start of the season. Brock Boeser, JT Miller, Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes have all collected a point per game in the team’s first 6 games.

Brock Boeser is in the final year of his contract before becoming a free agent. Could it become a distraction?

Expect the Canucks to try to retain him long-term over the next few months, though.

JT Miller has been on a nice streak since arriving in Vancouver, with 99, 82 and 103 points in the last three seasons. The team needs him, and the forward is scoring his fair share of goals. A dominant player.

Theoretically, Elias Pettersson should also be one of his team’s most productive players. That hasn’t been the case at the start of the season, but there’s really nothing to worry about with this 25-year-old.

Quinn Hughes is also only 25 years old. One of the NHL’s best offensive defensemen over the past three years, he has continued to build on his early-season success, collecting a point per game.

Filip Hronek is in neutral at the start of the season. Last year, he got 48 points. What version of this player will the Canucks have for the rest of 2024-25?

Tyler Myers is now a transformed player, having accepted his role in the NHL. But he too can do better.

Rick Tocchet won the Jack Adams Trophy last year, awarded to the season’s best coach. A first for a Canucks coach since Alain Vigneault in 2007. The Canucks are in good hands!

Will the Stanley Cup be back in Canada soon? Not impossible, and it could be in Vancouver. But the Canucks will still have to make some adjustments!