Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has a plan for the 2025-26 season. We think. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford says so anyway. We have some advice for them.
Potential Patrik Allvin Plans
Rutherford and Allvin have talked to the media since Adam Foote‘s promotion to head coach. Tom Willander was signed as well, so there has been plenty to talk about. But Willander, as important a signing as he is, won’t change the team’s direction next season.
At the presser introducing Adam Foote, the new head coach was vague on definitive plans for improving the team. That’s for good reason, as he doesn’t know what the team is going to look like come October 7th. He did talk about using his experience as a defenceman to boost the attack, but that’s likely not a priority.
Foote’s actions will speak louder than his words because that’s what he does. Not reserved, but cautious. Jim Rutherford, on the other hand, has always been very frank about his ideas. Both he and Patrik Allvin form any plans the Canucks enact.
Allvin has mostly followed suit but is happy for Rutherford to be the administration’s mouthpiece. He is the one making the deals, but with Rutherford’s advice and guidance. And providing a very definitive buffer between the general manager and team owners.
Whatever else might happen this offseason, it’s a joint effort, but responsibility ultimately falls on Allvin. So what are the options for 2025-26?
No Changes Planned
Whether it’s because of salary cap limitations or because what’s on offer isn’t an improvement, not everything will change.
The Mighty Quinn
First things first: Captain Quinn Hughes isn’t getting traded. As much as sports shows and podcasts have been trying to impress each other, that’s not happening. First, he is under team control for another two seasons. Second, and more importantly, he has never expressed any interest in leaving the team.
The exact opposite is true. He appreciates the responsibility of being captain and has talked about the obligations that come with the title.
“This team named me captain, and I feel obligated to be a successful team here,” Hughes told Sportsnet. “That weighs heavily on me; I want to do something here.”
This isn’t to say he can’t change his mind. The Canucks went into the 2024-25 season on a high from the previous year, and we all know how that went. Whatever plan Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford come up with, it will include Hughes at its core.
Blue Line In Black
As for the rest of the defence, it looks as good as it has in years. But they aren’t cheap. Even with newcomer Elias Pettersson on his entry-level deal, they already have nearly $25 million promised to five players. The team liked Derek Forbort‘s contribution and wants him back at a low price, but after that, it gets tricky.
If the newly signed Tom Willander makes the team, he’ll need protected minutes to start. Victor Mancini isn’t that much farther ahead in experience, but surely he deserves a clean shot after last year. And his work in Abbotsford during their playoff run deserves consideration. He’s played as many NHL games as Pettersson has, and likely has more offence on tap.
Vancouver’s problem with depth is that they have plenty at the bottom of the roster. The young talent needs ice time, and they’ll find more in the AHL than being a seventh man in Vancouver. They need a bounce-back season, and starting with three rookies in the mix is out of the question.
The team likes Noah Juulsen, and he likes them. He’s got a solid physical game, understands how to be on a taxi squad, and comes cheap. So long as he’s used sparingly, he could work out. But we suspect there will be one new veteran face in the system, even if Forbort returns.
What About Petey?
Whatever plan Patrik Allvin has, it shouldn’t include trading forward Elias Pettersson. If the Canucks want to return to the playoffs, they need to take chances on players. That means buying low – or what they hope is low – and crossing their fingers that the player returns to form.
That is the definition of Elias Pettersson. And, going by Foote and Allvin’s presser, the coach wants to keep him. The primary reason Foote was hired was to have continuity for the players, including Pettersson. Yes, the team could toss him out when he’s at his lowest, but the return will be nothing like his skill level.
In short, they won’t get a first-line centre for him. He has 100-point talent, but badly shaken confidence. It comes back, he comes back. So any changes around Pettersson will be all about supporting him, not ignoring him. Again, as much as talk shows like to talk to each other, the risk in moving him now is far beyond any reasonable return.
The Patrik Allvin All-In Plan
Running on the assumption that the Canucks want to reach the playoffs this year, there are some bold jumps ahead. Rutherford has already foreshadowed changes, saying they’re already looking at deals around the league. That could mean the first shoe drops before the playoffs end.
Can’t Miss Someone Who Won’t Leave
The two big unrestricted free agents for Vancouver are Pius Suter and Brock Boeser. Okay, “big” is a relative term, but they were important parts of this team’s success two seasons ago and weren’t to blame for last year’s mess.
The team would like to keep Suter, but he took a 50% pay cut to come to Vancouver and isn’t staying there. The rising salary cap affects all teams, and a versatile middle-six forward who is a defensive gem and scores 25 goals will have plenty of offers to choose from.
As for Boeser, this administration has never seemed to warm up to him. If he was interested in signing for the same again, they’d jump at it. But in a year with few genuine scorers on the market, some team is going to sign his ticket. And they just don’t seem that interested.
We expect both players to go, taking hard-to-replace skill sets with them. For a team lacking top-end talent up front, that’s going to make Allvin’s job that much harder.
Missing Another
One more forward could go – for real this time. Conor Garland, the subject of trade rumours every season he’s been in Vancouver, is a fierce competitor. He has a motor that doesn’t quit, and every year gets around 20 goals and around 50 points, whatever else happens. He’s also in the last year of his deal, which makes him a nice trade target.
It’s a reasonable thing to say he’d be great for the atmosphere of the team. Garland never gives less than 100%, and that kind of drive was sorely lacking throughout the team. But if Patrik Allvin has a plan to bring in new faces, they have to pay for them somehow.
Garland isn’t the player who’s on a championship team’s top line. He’s an excellent support scorer, a name the other coach circles on the board, saying, “watch out for this guy, too.” But that’s exactly where Vancouver can afford to take some chances. If they can use Garland’s reliability to bring back higher-end talent, it could pay off.
They have players who are pushing up in the ranks, and can risk losing some skill in the middle to improve the top end.
Money for Something
There are free agents out there, and a couple even look interesting! Unfortunately for Vancouver, it’s a seller’s market this time out, and they are hard pressed to find a dime to spend. That could be a side benefit of losing Garland for someone cheaper – see below – but who can come back?
Jack Roslovic has long interested the Canucks, being a right-handed centre with some speed and skill. He could be part of an extremely irritating line, but he’s not at the top of the list. Nikolaj Ehlers is the class of the UFA list, with rocket skates and finish. It will cost a lot to get him signed, but if they want speed and skill, he’s it.
Next Men Up
Speaking of saving money, the farm has been producing plenty of eager forwards of late. Linus Karlsson was an absolute beast in Abbotsford this season, scoring 23 goals in just 32 games. Nils Åman showed defensive acumen along with bursts of skill in his NHL visits. Aatu Räty is rounding into form as a former high draft pick working his way into the league.
Add Max Sasson‘s speed and opportunistic offence into the mix, and that’s four players who have a decent shot at a full NHL season. If Johnathan Lekkermäki adds some mass in the offseason, he’ll get his chance, too. His shot is already at an NHL level.
Between pressure from below and the addition of one or two players at the top, Patrik Allvin’s plan could have a very happy medium.
