Nearly halfway through month two of the 2025–26 season, the Vancouver Canucks are still dealing with injury woes. The bulk of their current holes in the lineup have been carried over from October, during which Vancouver had eight players missing from their lineup at one point. The team’s total is now up to seven or eight currently absent from their roster. 

From training camp to now, here are the details on Canucks who have missed time due to injury this season. 

Pre-Season and Training Camp 

The first big injury to hit Vancouver was Nils Höglander, as the forward left the team’s pre-season game in Abbotsford on September 24. Dealing with an ankle issue, Höglander was declared week-to-week before the regular season even started, with the forward expected to return anywhere from the end of November to mid-December. 

A couple of other players who missed time during the pre-season were Derek Forbort and Teddy Blueger, both of whom are still currently out due to injury as well. While both players did end up returning during the regular season, they have both also since left the team to deal with their respective ailments. Many have seen the impact their absences have made in Vancouver’s league-worst penalty kill. 

Heading down highway 1, organization staples Jett Woo (upper-body) and Guillaume Brisebois (lower-body) were both listed as being out long-term out of training camp. Neither defenceman has yet to make their season debut for the Abbotsford Canucks, who are also dealing with some injury issues. 

Finally, Pierre-Olivier Joseph was not as present during the pre-season as the team may have wanted him to have been, as he was also dealing with a lower-body issue throughout this time. Joseph made his season debut on October 21 but has seemingly been passed by Tom Willander on the depth chart. 

Home-Opener to October 20 

From October 9 to 20, the Canucks had four players leave the lineup due to injuries. Forbort, who missed some pre-season games for maintenance, suited up for Vancouver’s games against the Calgary Flames on the 9th and the Edmonton Oilers on the 11th. He missed practice the day after the Oilers game for maintenance and has since been relegated to LTIR. 

Vancouver’s next injuries didn’t come until October 19, though when they did, they came out in full-force. Filip Chytil, whose injury history (particularly concussions) is well-documented, ended up on the receiving end of a bad hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson and was taken out of the game. Chytil, whose 2024–25 season was ended by a dirty hit from Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson in March, has yet to clear protocol. 

In the same game, Jonathan Lekkerimäki also ended up sustaining an injury through a hit committed during the first period. He was also taken out of the game by the time the second period rolled around. A positive update to this story is that Lekkerimäki was activated off injury reserve and assigned to Abbotsford last night.  

The final Canucks injury of this game was to none other than Blueger, who made his season debut on October 17 against the Blackhawks only to depart from his second game of the year. After Chytil’s departure, Blueger ended up taking a good chunk of the Canucks’ center minutes for the match only to leave during the final six. Blueger was spotted at practice last week, but a recent update from Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote indicated that he may be farther out from returning than expected. 

October 21 to November 1 

Vancouver went about a week without another injury before their next was announced. On Saturday, October 26, Foote informed the media of the fact that captain Quinn Hughes would not be playing that night against the Oilers. Hughes was listed as day-to-day but ultimately joined his team on their next road trip and made his return a week later. More on him later. 

On that same night against the Oilers, Vancouver faced the loss of yet another defenceman. This time, it was Victor Mancini who left the game, sustaining an upper-body injury and departing during the second period of the match. Mancini has since been spotted at practice and looks close to returning. 

The game after, against the New York Rangers, it was Conor Garland who was taken out of the lineup due to injury issues. As one of the team’s most consistent forwards both offensively and defensively, his absence was worrying — especially with so many of the team’s more offensively-inclined players already out. His absence didn’t last too long, however, as he returned to play on November 5 and recently skated in his 500th career NHL game. 

While his absence only lasted for one game, Brock Boeser also departed from the Canucks’ lineup for a little bit of time. At the start of the team’s road game against the St. Louis Blues, the forward accidentally got in the way of a shot from defenceman Elias Pettersson and ended up missing the rest of the match as a result. He did, however, return for the next game. 

November 2 to 13 

The biggest injury saga to occur throughout this stretch of time was the issue with Thatcher Demko. Initially, Demko ended up missing a practice for maintenance, but did not end up playing during the team’s weekend back-to-back at home. Demko returned on Tuesday to start against the Winnipeg Jets, but was taken out of the game after the first period due to a completely unrelated injury (reported to be a groin injury). 

In the same game, Hughes also faced a scary situation after getting his arm twisted around during a puck battle against Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele, but returned in a very theatrical manner to quarterback the team’s power play. However, earlier today, Dan Murphy of Sportsnet reported that Hughes was not present for today’s practice in Carolina and is currently day-to-day. 

The final recent absence from the Canucks is Drew O’Connor, who also missed Thursday’s practice alongside Hughes. He is not expected to be out for too long, however, as O’Connor’s absence is due to needing a sick day. 

The Canucks will start their three-game road trip on Friday when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. After, they face a back-to-back in the Sunshine state, playing the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday and the Florida Panthers on Monday. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Canucks’ Quinn Hughes Out Day-To-Day With Injury, Drew O’Connor Absent Due To Illness

Home Of The Abbotsford Canucks Gets New Name

Why Jiří Patera Could See His First Start With The Vancouver Canucks On The Upcoming Road Trip

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.