Call it the post-trade deadline bump. The Vancouver Canucks took a 6–3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in their first game after the 2026 Trade Deadline, snapping a seven-game losing streak dating back to January 31. Drew O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser (2), and Max Sasson all found the back of the net, while Nikita Tolopilo made 20 saves on 23 shots faced in his 10th NHL start of the season. Despite the moves they made resulting in major absences in their lineup, Vancouver looked noticeably lighter while playing today. Boeser, who has seen his fair share of trade deadlines, spoke on the impact the deadline passing can have on a player and their performance. “It’s definitely a distraction for a lot of guys when your name’s out there. I’m just happy that we’re past it, and a lot of guys are happy,” he told Sportsnet post-game. “I just want to move forward and really start playing the right way with all these young guys and the older guys.” With Vancouver having traded Conor Garland [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/canucks-trade-conor-garland-to-the-columbus-blue-jackets-for-two-picks] and David Kämpf [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/canucks-trade-pending-ufa-david-kampf-to-the-washington-capitals] ahead of the deadline, Aatu Räty ended up slotting back into the lineup for his first game since February 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Räty will likely see a lot more playing time now that Kämpf, one of the Canucks’ go-to defensive centres, has been moved. In today’s game, the forward led his team in faceoff winning percentage with 84.6% and had two hits in 10:53 minutes played. It looked like this game could end up being quite the shootout within the first five minutes, as the Blackhawks scored the opening goal a little over a minute into the first period. O’Connor and DeBrusk scored within 30 seconds of one-another only a minute after Chicago’s goal to give Vancouver the 2–1 lead by the three-minute mark. Blueger potted another one six and a half minutes into the period to put Vancouver up 3–1. While the Blackhawks did tie things up at three apiece, Boeser gave Vancouver the go-ahead goal at the beginning of the third period. Vancouver did a good job of taking themselves to the net this game, as all four of the non empty-net goals they scored came from close-range. Adding onto that, all three of the Canucks’ first-period goals came about with traffic crowding the area in front of Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Söderblom. O’Connor and Räty made their way to the net on the former’s tip-in goal, while it was Nils Höglander and DeBrusk who crowded Söderblom on the latter’s. While Blueger was all alone on his, the centre brought two Chicago players to the net with him when he put it past the goaltender. Part of what many fans have been looking for from the team has been an increase in minutes for their younger players now that some of their veterans have been dealt. This process started out positively in today’s game, as young forwards like Sasson and Liam Öhgren spent some time on the penalty kill, while Tom Willander and Zeev Buium each recorded over two minutes on Vancouver’s power play. The Canucks, for the most part, haven’t shied away from making moves better aligned with the direction they’re planning on taking now that the deadline has passed. Vancouver’s roster is noticeably younger now, with the team icing a D-core with the average age of 24 tonight. With no moves available for the rest of the season, Vancouver’s aim moving forward will be to continue growing with each game. “It’s definitely good to know the direction,” Boeser added. “We have so many young guys in the lineup, and we’ve talked about how everyone has to learn and stick together and focus on the details that the coaches are preaching. So that was a much better job tonight.” Mar 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5a6fee02-da8b-448a-85c6-e5d1b760cedb.jpeg] Mar 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images STATS AND FACTS: * Today marks the second time this season Drew O’Connor and Jake DeBrusk have scored exactly 24 seconds apart in the first period, as they also did-so on November 17 against the Florida Panthers * Marcus Pettersson records his first multi-point game since joining the Canucks * Jake DeBrusk increases his personal point streak to three straight games * With an assist today, Marco Rossi extends his personal point streak against the Blackhawks to four straight games SCORING SUMMARY: 1st Period: 1:08 - CHI: Ryan Donato (14) from Frank Nazar 2:08 - VAN: Drew O’Connor (15) from Tom Willander and Marcus Pettersson 2:32 - VAN: Jake DeBrusk (14) from Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson 6:32 - VAN: Teddy Blueger (6) from Marcus Pettersson and Max Sasson 12:00 - CHI: Ilya Mikheyev (12) from Oliver Moore and Tyler Bertuzzi 2nd Period: 19:17 - CHI: Frank Nazar (8) from Alex Vlasic and Ilya Mikheyev 3rd Period: 2:40 - VAN: Brock Boeser (14) from Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk (PPG) 18:34 - VAN: Max Sasson (11) (ENG) 19:44 - VAN: Brock Boeser (15) from Marco Rossi and Filip Hronek (ENG) Up Next: Vancouver will be back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Winnipeg Jets as part of Hockey Night in Canada. Since Tolopilo started tonight, it’s expected that Kevin Lankinen will play tomorrow. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT. Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwr-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks]. 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