The 2024–25 Canucks Season At The 4 Nations Face-Off Break

Looking back at some of the biggest storylines of the Canucks’ season so far.

Last season, the Vancouver Canucks went into the mid-season break with an NHL-leading record of 33–11–5 and 71 points. Now, as the team heads into the 4 Nations Face-Off break, their 26–18–11 record and 63 points put them in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Let’s unpack how the Canucks’ season has gone so far.

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The Canucks’ goaltending situation was a big question mark heading into the season. With the news that Thatcher Demko would miss a significant period of time while rehabbing his popliteus injury, it was thought that Artūrs Šilovs would have to man the crease. However, the late signing of Kevin Lankinen proved to be the team’s saving grace throughout the start of the season. Throughout 33 games played, he has faced 877 shots against, 150 of which have been while his team is killing penalties. He has four shutouts — a stat that ties him for second in the league — and registered his first point of the season in the team’s 5–2 win against the St. Louis Blues on January 27. Lankinen’s efforts with the Canucks earned him a place on Team Finland during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he’s currently projected to start in goal for his country.

As great as some surprise stars have been on the Canucks, there’s one issue that has plagued the team throughout the season — goal scoring. It’s no secret that Quinn Hughes has been nothing short of remarkable (more on that later), but after his team-leading 59 points, the offense drops significantly. Brock Boeser and Conor Garland are next up in terms of points, each producing 35 in 48 games and 34 in 54 games respectively. No Canuck has scored 20 goals on the season yet, as Jake DeBrusk currently leads in that department with 19. After him is Boeser with 18, and then Garland, Hughes, and Pius Suter with 14 apiece. Altogether, the Canucks have put up 155 total goals on the season, which is good for 23rd in the NHL. The only team beneath them in this stat that is currently in a playoff spot is the L.A. Kings, who have scored 151. With that being said, the Kings have a much better goal differential, as they have only surrendered 136. Improving their offense will be one big thing for the team to work on coming out of the break.

The current NHL record for overtime/shootout losses in one season is 18, with the 2014–15 Philadelphia Flyers, 2013–14 New Jersey Devils, 2011–12 Florida Panthers, and 2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning all tied in this stat. With 11 losses after regulation on the season, the Canucks currently lead the NHL and could break this stat by the time they hit their 82nd game. They registered their first overtime win in over a month against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, but prior to that, had dropped three straight. Before winning 4–3 in a shootout against the Seattle Kraken on January 2, they had lost five straight games in the extra frame. With the race to the postseason being so tight right now, these 11 points surrendered by losing in overtime could be a big factor in whether Vancouver claims a playoff spot by the end of the season or not.

Injuries have been a key talking point in Vancouver’s season, from Demko’s delaying his season debut to December (as well as his early exit from Saturday’s match against the Toronto Maple Leafs), to Hughes’ causing him to miss eight of his team’s 55 games played. Only three Canucks have played every single game this season — Garland, DeBrusk, and Teddy Blueger. Everyone else has missed time either due to injury, scratches, or suspensions. Boeser missed seven games in November after taking an illegal hit from L.A.’s Tanner Jeannot, Elias Pettersson missed six after being banged up in the December 23rd match against the Sharks, and Filip Hronek was out for eight weeks after having a lower-body procedure done. Other Canucks who have missed time for health-related reasons are Dakota Joshua (26 games), Derek Forbort (17 games), Kiefer Sherwood (four games), Carson Soucy (one game), and Suter (one game).

In a season where the team should be pondering their future, one player has managed to lift the Canucks on his back and carry them to that second wild card spot. Hughes has been the team’s beacon in what can only be described as a confusing season. He leads his team in points and assists with 59 and 45 respectively, all while sporting 1189:19 minutes played on the season. During his current period of injury, his team’s power play has floundered, failing at bringing the puck into the offensive zone and keeping it in to generate quality scoring chances. However, fans have yet to see how Hughes will play in a lineup full of new additions — if the past couple of games have been any indicator, once the captain returns, the Canucks could look even speedier and more rejuvenated than they have recently.

The biggest day of the season for the Canucks was undoubtedly January 31. It was arguably a day that changed the shape of the franchise’s future as a whole, as the team decided to move on from J.T. Miller and bring in a new set of players to complement the current core. After the events of January 31, Filip Chytil, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor, and Victor Mancini were officially Canucks. Miller, Danton Heinen, Erik Brännström, Vincent Desharnais, and prospect Jackson Dorrington are now all with different teams. In a matter of hours, Vancouver seemingly transformed into a new team. With that being said, management has not confirmed nor denied whether they will be sticking with the players currently in the roster, as an extension has not yet been announced for Boeser, the team’s longest-tenured forward.

Current record: 26–18–11, 63 points

Record within the division: 8–5–2, 18 points

Points leader: Quinn Hughes (59)

Goals leader: Jake DeBrusk (19)

Assists leader: Quinn Hughes (45)

Highest SV%: .905% (Kevin Lankinen)

Lowest GAA: 2.53 (Kevin Lankinen)

Team SV%: .888%

Team GF: 155 (23rd in NHL)

Team GA: 166 (tied for 17th in NHL)

Average TOI leader: Quinn Hughes (25:18)

Hits leader: Kiefer Sherwood (292)

Blocks leader: Tyler Myers (94)

Traded (since Oct. 9 vs. Calgary Flames): J.T. Miller, Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, Daniel Sprong, Erik Brännström, Jackson Dorrington, Mark Friedman

Acquired (since Oct. 9 vs. Calgary Flames): Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Drew O’Connor, Victor Mancini

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