On January 31, 2025, the Vancouver Canucks made some significant changes to their organization. Vancouver made two blockbuster trades, which included moving J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers while bringing in Filip Chytil, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O'Connor and Victor Mancini. While many intriguing trades have emerged over the past 12 games, the most beneficial has been the penalty kill, which sits at 93.3% since the new players have been integrated into the lineup. 

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Since February 1, the Canucks have killed off 28 of 30 penalties. Vancouver also has scored a shorthanded goal over that span, which came courtesy of Dakota Joshua on March 1. Based on their success rate, it is fair to say that the Canucks penalty kill has kept them in games and, on some occasions, played a significant role in why the team was able to pick up two points. 

While Vancouver is still allowing a similar amount of shots per 60 minutes, the scoring chances have seen a significant reduction since the trades. According to Natural Stat Trick, before February 1, the Canucks were allowing 58.34 scoring chances per 60, compared to 49.08 over the past 12 games. The same can be said for high-danger scoring chances, which have seen a reduction from 25.57 to 14.31. 

As for the new players, they have been key parts of how Vancouver runs their penalty kill. Pettersson ranks second in total ice time for defensemen at 28:13 while has played 14:06 so far. During their time on ice, they have been very effective at containing the opposition, as Pettersson has been on for six high-danger chances against, while O'Connor sits at zero. 

One other difference is that the Canucks have been giving their top penalty-killing forwards more minutes over the past 12 games. Pius Suter went from 2:21 to 2:37 a game, while Teddy Blueger saw an increase from 2:14 to 2:28. Both Suter and Blueger also haven't been on the ice for a power play goal against over the past 12 games and are showing just how valuable they have become to Vancouver's roster.

If the Canucks are going to qualify for the postseason, they need their penalty kill to continue to step up. In low-scoring games, special teams play a major factor, with unsuccessful kills often costing teams at the end of games. Ultimately, the penalty killing units have been impressive, as they have been able to shut down some of the league's best power plays over the past 12 games. 

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