The Hockey News' Vancouver Canucks Mailbag: Early Season Struggles, Trade Talk & More

Welcome to this edition of The Hockey News' Vancouver Canucks Mailbag. In this series, we answer your questions about what is going on with the Canucks. In this article, we answer questions about the rough start to the season, which players might eventually be on the move and more. 

The way NHL attendance is tracked can be misleading. Teams can say a game is sold out, yet there are plenty of open seats. This is because NHL teams track tickets distributed rather than counting how many people walk through the doors. 

In Vancouver's case, the Canucks are averaging 17,454 in attendance this season, which is 92.3%. That number includes tickets sold plus any given away through promotional means or charitable donations. As for your second question, I don't have a good answer for the reason, but I can tell you that the Edmonton Oilers have a smaller arena, and their average capacity percentage is 93.8%. 

I am going to combine these two because they cover a similar point. The first part is no, I do not believe Ryan Johnson will make another trade before November 26. In fact, I would not be surprised if another trade happens before the calendar flips to 2027. 

As for potential trades, players who could be on the move include Paul Cotter, Drew O'Connor and Filip Chytil. If Vancouver can move at least two of these pending unrestricted free agents and walk away with two top-64 picks in the next few drafts, plus two additional picks, this trade deadline should be considered a success. 

Vancouver's .208 points percentage through 12 games is much lower than anyone expected. Unfortunately, that is what happens when a team picks up just one point over nine games. That being said, it is way too early in the campaign to be looking at points percentage, for the simple fact that the percentage can swing drastically if the Canucks pick up two wins in a row. 

As for the improvement, that is going to take time. The players are still learning Manny Malhotra's system and will face uphill battles every night. Vancouver will need their goaltenders to steal some games, but if they keep the effort level high, which has been the case most nights, they should be able to get their points percentage up before the 25-game mark. 

The battle between the Petterssons for Team MVP has been intriguing to watch this year. Elias Pettersson, the forward, is on the way to "being back", while Pettersson, the defenceman, has stepped his game up to another level. 12 games in, it is safe to say that the MVP battle looks like a three-player race between the Petterssons and goaltender Leevi Meriläinen. 

Out of the two Petterssons, I would lean more toward the forward as Team MVP. He is at a point-per-game rate, is playing physically, and has taken the most faceoffs in the entire NHL. That being said, the real MVP this year has been the fans who continue not just to tune in or attend games, but passionately discuss this team daily. 

Meriläinen has been sensational this year so far. He has kept the Canucks in games and is showing why he was considered the top-drafted goaltending prospect a few years ago. Based on his play, he deserves to be Vancouver's starter, as he is currently giving the team the best chance to end this losing streak. 

As for the future, it is very hard to project what will happen after this season. There are a ton of questions surrounding Thatcher Demko's future, as well as Kevin Lankinen's. That being said, Meriläinen could very well be the goaltender of the future, especially as the team waits for goaltenders Ty Young and Alexei Medvedev to develop. 

Let's start with the bad and get it out of the way. The most surprising thing has been the regression in Filip Hronek's game. He has become so reliable over the last few years that his current level of play should be considered concerning. 

As for the good, it has to be the play of Pettersson, the defenceman. After what was a tough year under Adam Foote, D-Petey has emerged this season as one of, if not the Canucks best players. So far, Pettersson has shown he can be a reliable player in his own zone and could be setting himself up for a massive contract extension this off-season. 

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