A New and Hopeful Season For the Canucks
Photo Credit: The Canadian Press
Last season, Rick Tocchet joined the Canucks as their 21st head coach. At the time, the Canucks were ranked 22nd in the National Hockey League (NHL) and had been consistently losing games. Tocchet was seemingly able to turn the team around, with them coming close to the Stanley Cup last year. Following that success, the off season has been eventful for the Canucks, from the departure and injury of many players, to new assets to the team.
Several players were traded during the offseason, including Vancouver's second goalie, Casey DeSmith. DeSmith was a big help at the end of the playoffs, stepping in for Thatcher Demko as starting goalie when he couldn't play due to a knee injury. DeSmith signed a $3 million dollar contract with the Dallas Stars over the summer.
Nikita Zadorov has signed a deal with the Boston Bruins. Standing at 1.96 meters in height, his large stature and consistent checks made him a solid defenseman for the Canucks.
DeSmith and Zadorov were not the only players who left the Canucks; there were a total of seven players who moved onto different teams. Along with the permanent roster changes, two players have also been sidelined by injury.
Dakota Joshua, a center for Canucks for over two years, put out an official statement in June addressing his recent diagnosis with testicular cancer. “This news was obviously scary to hear, but thankfully, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor,” he said. More recently, the Canucks have reported Joshua is back to skating and will soon be able to be back playing with the team, which is reassuring news for fans.
As previously mentioned, goalie Thatcher Demko had a knee injury since the start of last year's playoffs. Demko reported to NHL that, “This is the most confident I've been in the rehab process up to date and as I continue to progress and work with Marko [the Canucks goaltending coach] and our medical staff, hopefully just keep progressing week to week.” However, it is still uncertain when Demko will be back on the ice.
Who will be replacing all these players in the 2024–2025 season? The Canucks have signed Kevin Lankinen to fill in for DeSmith as goalkeeper. Lankinen had similar numbers to Desmith while playing for the Nashville Predators last season.
The Canucks also added some new forwards: Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong, as well as two veteran blueliners, Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais, and a strong right wing, Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk, being the most promising player of the six additions, has yet to score a goal this season, but has been consistent with almost one assist each game so far with the Canucks.
“I understand why they were so hard to play against last year,” said Desharnais, who was a defenceman for the Oilers last season. Most of the other players have yet to be very active on the ice, with the small exception of Danton Heinen, who scored two of the six goals against the Blackhawks on Oct. 22.
The Canucks currently rank 15th in the NHL overall, which is a change from their number one seat in the pacific division last year. They have played a total of 13 games, and have won seven of them.
“I don't believe in 'Hey, you work hard today, it'll be easier tomorrow.' It's always going to be hard. That's just the way it is, so why not condition your mind? I talked to the players after a game in the playoffs. You know, you're limping, you've got an ice pack (after winning). That's the best feeling in the world,” Tocchet told Sportsnet. “But it's not going to get easier tomorrow. It's going to be even harder. That's the way I look at this season.”