10 Storylines That Dominated 2025 For The Vancouver Canucks

2025 was an eventful year for the Vancouver Canucks. On and off the ice, the Canucks saw it all — blockbuster trades, AHL championships, and more. The calendar year had no shortage of storylines, both good and bad. Here’s a look at the 10 Canucks storylines that dominated 2025. 

The J.T. Miller/Elias Pettersson Rift 

The rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson was the biggest sports storyline in Vancouver throughout the month of January. Rumours had begun to swirl late in 2024, but talks really came to a head at the start of 2025. It got to the point where Miller was very nearly traded on January 18 ahead of Vancouver’s home match against the Edmonton Oilers, though the team didn’t end up moving the forward until the 31st. In exchange for Miller, the Canucks acquired Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a first-round pick that was later flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a later deal done only a few hours after. 

The Brock Boeser Saga Comes To An End

Up until around 9:30 am PT on July 1, it felt as though Brock Boeser was bound to end up on a non-Canucks team for the first time in his NHL career. Throughout the 2024–25 season, Canucks management and more seemed to allude to Boeser either being traded at the deadline or parting ways from the team that drafted him during free agency. When the 2025 Trade Deadline passed without Boeser being flipped, many were convinced that he’d be moving on. However, in a sudden shocker on the day of free agency, it was Dan Murphy of Sportsnet who broke the news that Boeser was re-signing with the Canucks on a long-term basis. After years of shorter-term deals that kept his future up in the air, Boeser finally got the extended commitment he deserves from the team that he’s been so loyal to.  

"At The End Of The Day, I Think My Heart Was Still In Vancouver": Brock Boeser Speaks On Signing A Seven-Year Extension With The CanucksOn July 1, the Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser agreed to a seven-year extension worth $50.75 million. The new deal will keep the 28-year-old in Vancouver for potentially his entire career, as Boeser has been with the organization since 2015 when they drafted him 23rd overall. Ultimately, this is contract is a big win for not just the Canucks and Boeser, but also the fan base, as they have been sharing their excitement on social media since the deal was announced. 

Quinn Hughes’ Fate With The Canucks

Ever since he signed his six-year deal back in the 2021–22 season, Quinn Hughes’ future with the Canucks has felt like a ticking time-bomb. The deal walks him right to free agency — something that Vancouver wanted to avoid at all costs. Thoughts of Hughes joining his brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey have always been at the back of Canucks fans’ minds, but not as much as they have been this year. The idea of keeping Hughes versus moving on from him gained traction during the 2025 off-season, with comments from Hughes and management seeming to imply that the defenceman may not want to stay in Vancouver. Ultimately, this storyline came to a halt when Vancouver flipped Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on December 12 in exchange for Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, and a first-round pick. 

The Injury Bug Bites Vancouver 

If my counting is correct, based on public reports, the Canucks registered 28 different injuries throughout 2025. Ther recorded six separate injuries in March and October each, while they had four new injuries occur in January with two carrying over from 2024. Injuries were a massive story for the Canucks in 2025, as their biggest hits to the lineup came at major points in their respective seasons. In March, this came at a time when Vancouver looked like they may actually still be able to push for the playoffs. The injuries sustained in October are still impacting the lineup to this day, as three players who were injured this month have yet to return to the lineup even now. 

An Updated Timeline Of The Canucks’ Injuries In 2025–26Here is how the Canucks' injury situation has shaken out so far this season.

Thatcher Demko’s Health Has Been A Talking Point

When he’s on, he’s easily one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. The only caveat with Thatcher Demko is his shaky injury history — something that was made very clear in 2025. Demko missed a large chunk of playing time in 2024, but did seem to return in 2025. Throughout the second-half of the 2024–25 season, he missed two different occasions due to injury, with one absence lasting around a week and the other totaling nearly two months. Demko did start the 2025–26 season for Vancouver, but ended up taking a weekend off for what was described as similar to load management. After he returned from this short break, he left mid-game on November 11 against the Winnipeg Jets and did not return until December 11. With that being said, he has since shown the Canucks exactly who he has the potential to be when healthy, allowing six goals on 111 shots against including a shutout against the New York Rangers.  

Kiefer Sherwood’s Domination 

One of the Canucks who made themselves the most noticeable during 2025 was none-other than Kiefer Sherwood, who enjoyed a career season back in 2024–25 and looks like he’ll be surpassing that in 2025–26. The forward scored a career-high 19 goals in 2024–25 and is already at 16 throughout 39 games this season. Sherwood also broke an NHL record in hits made in one season by surpassing Jeremy Lauzon’s 383. By the end of the season, Sherwood recorded 460 hits. He’s currently on pace to crush his previous career highs, but is also in the final year of a two-year contract that has paid him $1.5M per season. For this reason, many believe the best course of action is to trade Sherwood for a good return while his stock is still high, as he could easily command a lot more money in free agency later on in the year. 

Vancouver’s Hunt For A Second-Line Center

The Miller trade sparked a new question for the Canucks, who suddenly saw their depth down the middle falter from what it had once been. This particular concern only worsened after injuries to Pettersson and Chytil in March of 2025, leaving former Canuck Pius Suter as the team’s first-line center. Suter later departed in free agency, putting the Canucks in a place where they would either sign another center or bring one in from within the organization. 

Another issue added onto this was Chytil’s injury history. The center, who has struggled with concussions throughout his career, looked good heading into the 2025–26 season and seemed primed to show fans why he was ready to take the spot as Vancouver’s second-line center. However, an injury sustained on October 19 has kept the forward out of the lineup for the entire season so far. Plenty of experimentation was done by the Canucks, who acquired Lukas Reichel and signed David Kämpf as a means of trying to fill the gaps at center. When neither experiment worked out, they obtained Rossi in the Hughes deal and appear to have found their second-line center for the time being. 

A Hard-Earned Championship In Abbotsford 

While the Canucks couldn’t quite find their footing in 2024–25, the Abbotsford Canucks put together the biggest accomplishment that a team can achieve in the AHL — winning the Calder Cup. A strong, determined Abbotsford team headlined by performances by Artūrs Šilovs, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains, and more brought the Calder Cup to the Fraser Valley for the first time ever. The championship run itself was one marked with hard work and commitment to difficult play, with the AHL Canucks doing the most to block shots, make hits, and be the first to the puck in all occasions. It was those extra details that led to Abbotsford grinding out such an impressive championship win in June of 2025. 

Reliving The Abbotsford Canucks’ 2025 Calder Cup WinTonight is a big night for the city of Abbotsford, as the

Are The Canucks Rebuilding? 

For a week, they were. But after rattling off four straight wins, the Canucks abandoned the rebuild plan for what they described as a hybrid retool. They first committed to the term “rebuild” after trading Hughes and acquiring a healthy set of young stars. However, they have since smudged the wording a little bit, opting for a more ambiguous phrase likely as a means of being able to change gears at their own desires. 

'Not An Easy Day For The Franchise': GM Patrik Allvin Explains Why The Canucks Traded Captain Quinn HughesGM Patrik Allvin met with the media following the Quinn Hughes trade.

Will Elias Pettersson Ever Return To His 100-Point Form? 

No Canuck has been more scrutinized in 2025 than Pettersson. From being one of the centerpieces in Vancouver’s headline-dominating rift in January, to putting up 45 points in 64 games in 2024–25, Pettersson was the most talked-about Canuck in 2025. His injury issues dating back to 2023–24 put him in a bad spot heading into 2024–25, resulting in a disappointing season from the first-line center. While Pettersson has not looked entirely like the 100-point player that he was back in 2022–23, he has put up a much better effort than the one seen at the start of 2025. Offensively, he enjoyed his best stretch at the beginning of November, putting up four straight multi-point games from November 11 to 17. Defensively, he has put in effort throughout 2025–26, leading all forwards in the NHL in blocked shots at one point. Pettersson is not back to his 100-point form yet, and frankly, it may take a while for him to get there. But he has shown flashes of the creativity he exhibited back in the younger days of his career, which is a promising sign. 

Has Canucks Center Elias Pettersson Met Expectations Throughout The First Quarter Of The 2025–26 Season? Elias Pettersson currently has six goals and 13 assists in 21 games played. Over the past four games, he has eight points.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News 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.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Which Canucks Could Be Headed To The 2026 Winter Olympics?

Former Canuck Named To Team Canada Roster For 2026 Winter Olympics

Report: Canucks Defenceman May Not Play For The Rest Of The Year

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.