Here's how these 5 new Canucks have performed so far throughout 2025-26.
Since the end of the 2024–25 regular season, the Vancouver Canucks have brought in a crop of new players via trade, free agency, or in-organization promotion. Most of these players have skated in at least five regular season games for Vancouver since the start of October. With the first quarter of the 2025–26 NHL season now complete, let’s take a look at how these new Canucks have performed throughout their time with Vancouver.
Evander Kane
Of the new players Vancouver has brought in, Kane has been the most relied-upon for the Canucks, as he has played the second-most minutes on the team by forwards (379:07). While he typically does not see any penalty killing time, he has spent 40:54 minutes on the power play and has the most even-strength minutes played by a Canucks forward so far this year (337:22). Despite this, he is only tied for sixth on the team in even-strength points scored with two goals and six assists. Kane has also been placed in the top-six for virtually every game this season and has most recently been seen on the top line with Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland or Kiefer Sherwood.
Kane has been a bit of a sporadic forward for the Canucks this season, placing first in a couple of categories that probably aren’t the most positive. He currently leads the team in penalties taken with 13, but has also drawn the most penalties on the team with 11. Kane also leads the Canucks in shots taken with 62 and rebounds created with 17.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph
When initially acquired, Joseph was expected to slot into the lineup as the team’s seventh defenceman behind players like Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini. While injuries have slightly derailed this projection, Joseph has still been sitting out in a depth role as he has seemingly been passed in the depth chart by Tom Willander (more on him later). As a result, Joseph ranks seventh in minutes played by Canucks defencemen this season with a TOI of 110:04.
Part of the reason behind Joseph’s limited deployment is his absence for parts of training camp. The defenceman ultimately didn’t end up on Vancouver’s opening night roster due to injuries and did not make his Canucks debut until October 21 against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Willander’s successes this season, there isn’t currently much room for Joseph on the blueline.
MacKenzie MacEachern
Part of a group of depth free-agent signings by the Canucks, MacEachern provided some veteran presence during his seven games as a member of the Abbotsford Canucks so far. He was called up to Vancouver after a string of injuries and has played in six games, scoring a goal and three assists. He’s a depth player who has stayed within the lineup’s bottom-six, so lots of offence isn’t expected from him; however, he’s been decent in roles where he’s asked to provide ample forechecking.
Since joining the Canucks, the two players MacEachern has spent the most time with have been Aatu Räty and Drew O’Connor, both of which he’s spent over 24 minutes with. He also logged some time with Lukas Reichel and Linus Karlsson — a line that found a decent amount of success as recently as on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Conor Garland expected to play tomorrow against the Dallas Stars, MacEachern could be the player coming out of the lineup in his stead.
Lukas Reichel
Acquired as a result of center depth injuries, Reichel made an impressive Canucks debut back in October by showing off his speed and ability to help set up chances. While he currently only has one point in 13 games as a member of Vancouver, Reichel has also been tasked with defensive responsibilities that come with playing at center — a position he hasn’t taken as much in his NHL career.
Most recently, Reichel was moved from the second line to the fourth line, with Max Sasson taking his place between players like Brock Boeser, Kiefer Sherwood, or Jake DeBrusk (depending on the day). Optimistically, once one of Teddy Blueger or Filip Chytil returns, Reichel will slot back into a spot on the wing where he can find more offensive success.
Tom Willander
Arguably the most impressive addition to the Canucks’ roster this season has been Willander, who signed his entry-level contract with the club back in May. The defenceman had often been regarded as one of the team’s best prospects prior to making his NHL debut on October 28 against the New York Rangers. While he had a decent training camp and pre-season, he has showcased himself well throughout the regular season. The defender has three assists in 11 games played and has thrived in the situations he has played in despite only being 20 years old. While he’s not going to contend for Quinn Hughes’ position as team MVP quite yet, he has been very solid in his first 11 NHL games and has proven he can be offensively dominant without getting on the scoresheet.
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