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Canucks rumors: The 2 players Vancouver won’t re-sign this offseason
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- Canucks rumors: The 2 players Vancouver won’t re-sign this offseason
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The Vancouver Canucks are going to look quite different in 2026-27 after one of the worst seasons in franchise history concludes on Thursday night.
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The Canucks have won just 25 games in 81 tries in 2025-26, and are a full 17 points behind the Chicago Blackhawks , who are set to finish 31st. It's been a nightmare campaign by all accounts, highlighted by various injuries and franchise cornerstone Quinn Hughes getting traded to the Minnesota Wild in his prime.
After nearly a decade of trying to retool on the fly, it looks like management in British Columbia has finally committed to a full rebuild, which means there will be some more dark years ahead .
As The Athletic's Thomas Drance speculated earlier this week when projecting Vancouver's roster for next year, he expects at least two players to not be back: forward Evander Kane and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph .
Kane is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, while Joseph will be a restricted free agent at the same time.
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"Kane's homecoming hasn't worked out for either side," Drance wrote about the BC native. "The 34-year-old played huge minutes, but wasn't productive or physically assertive consistently in his first (and likely only) Canucks season. Ultimately, he was unable to return Vancouver anything of value at the NHL trade deadline as a result."
Kane suited up for 71 games in 2025-26, but managed just 13 goals and 31 points.
"A steady depth blueliner with versatility and a professional work ethic, Joseph did everything asked of him and was a stand-up citizen throughout his first Canucks season," Drance wrote of the rearguard. "Perhaps the club could consider returning him as veteran blue-line insurance, but given the raw numbers game and how many young defenders the Canucks will be looking to give reps next season, it's tricky to see the fit."
The Canucks have a crowded blue line, with five players age 23 or under hoping to make the roster fulltime in 2026-27: Zeev Buium , Tom Willander , Victor Mancini , Elias Pettersson and Kirill Kudryavtsev.
It's obvious that changes are necessary after an absolutely brutal campaign, and it'll be interesting to see if Drance's predictions prove true this summer.
