Vincent Desharnais signed a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1.

The Vancouver Canucks brought in quite a few new players this season, including defenceman Vincent Desharnais. After spending his entire career with the Edmonton Oilers organization, the 6'7", 226 lbs right-shot defender signed a two-year, $4 million contract on July 1 with Vancouver, marking his return to B.C. for the first time since 2014-15, when he played for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. A physical force on the blue line, the 28-year-old is focused on improving his game and helping the Canucks reach their full potential this season. 

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It doesn't matter if you are 18 or 28; changing organizations presents challenges. From new routines to learning the ins and outs of a new city, every player goes through an adjustment period when joining a new team. As Desharnais explains, while he is still getting used to life in Vancouver, his main focus remains improving his game every day. 

"It's a new team, everyone is new, it's a new building, it's a new apartment, your whole life is new," said Desharnais. I moved with my clothes, and that's pretty much it. I gotta basically relearn everything that I was doing for the last; I mean, I was part of the Edmonton organization for eight years. The systems and just the daily life. You're so used to it, and then you wake up one morning, it's all over, and you've got to restart all over again. It's definitely a little bit of an adjustment. Some days are a little bit harder. Some days, you're missing your comfort spots and your comfort levels, but it's one day at a time. These guys have been really good at helping me out. The coaching staff, Footer (Adam Foote) has been really good at showing me small details to help my game. My goal is just to get better every day. I want to help this team win."

One advantage of signing with the Canucks is the experienced coaching and development staff within the organization. On top of Rick Tocchet, former Stanley Cup winners Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar are working with the defencemen consistently on everything from board battles to executing perfect tape-to-tape passes. The coaching staff also likes to push players as much as possible, which, according to Desharnais, is already benefitting his overall game.

"Those guys, they put you out of your comfort zone quite a bit. They always push you to get better, whether it's game day, non-game day, or day off. They always have something for you to chew on. I think that the biggest thing is just not to take it personal and just try to take as much as you can and just work your butt off. That's what I've been trying to do. I see my game is getting better and better, and I think that if I keep listening to those guys, I can affect the team. If we stick to the game plan, we stick to the process; I think it's going to be a very good season for us."

One area of Desharnais' game that he is continually working on is not taking penalties for being too tall. This includes ensuring he doesn't contact the head, as well as keeping his stick down on players who may be close to a foot shorter than him. As Desharnais explains, while some of the calls are unavoidable, constant communication with refs is key to keeping him out of the penalty box. 

"You've got to pick your battles. I've gotten a lot better at it. There's a fine line between being too aggressive and aggressive enough. You've got to work with the refs. You've got to learn where their line is and be by that line the whole game. Some plays are a little frustrating because there's not much you can do about it. You're just bigger; might be a little bit stronger too. I'm just sticking to my game, and if it happens, it happens. We have a great kill."

While the coaching staff's experience is a major check mark for players when signing in Vancouver, so is the fact that players do not have to play against J.T. Miller anymore. In the case of Desharnais, he and Miller had some intense battles during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Miller consistently finding ways to get under Desharnais' skin. Now sitting on the Canucks bench, Desharnais gets to enjoy watching other player's frustrations rather than suffer a similar fate himself himself. 

"It's great to see other teams getting frustrated, and we always kind of chuckle on the bench. I'm like, thank God I don't have to deal with those guys anymore. It fits my style of play, where I don't think I'm really fun to play against. That's a goal, and that's why I think J.T. (Miller) and I didn't get along on the ice last year in the playoffs. We didn't like each other one bit. We have kind of the same kind of f--- you menatility. I think a lot of the team has the same mentality. I think we can go a long way with that f---you mentality for sure."

When Desharnais is at his best, he can be an impactful player in Vancouver's lineup. He is starting to develop some chemistry with Erik Brännström and has become a consistent member of the team's penalty kill. A player who fits in not just from a playstyle perspective but also the culture of the organization, with the right development, Desharnais should play an important role for the Canucks throughout the 2024-25 season.