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Demko and Hoglander are ready to contribute but Canucks are thin down middle in quest for victories
Published Dec 10, 2025 • Last updated 24 minutes ago • 10 minute read
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When Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are on the ice together five-on-five, the Canucks have taken 51.3 per cent of the shot attempts. Photo by Jeff Vinnick /NHLI via Getty ImagesArticle content
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If you’ve wished about seeing a full-strength Canucks team in the flesh, Thursday may be your best bet. The Sabres are coming to town, it’s the last Canucks home game before Christmas, and Thatcher Demko is supposed to be back in net after missing the last 12 games. Nils Hoglander has been back for a couple of games now and Elias Pettersson looks like he may return after missing the last couple of games with an injury.
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Elias Pettersson won’t play Thursday, tested ailment in solo skate
The Canucks were hoping the Swedish centre would be a full participant Wednesday at practice. He skated on his own Wednesday morning to test the state of recovery from his upper-body ailment.
Pettersson has missed two games with the injury, the nature of which has not be revealed. Canucks head coach Adam Foote said this of Pettersson in Tuesday: “I talked to him this morning and he felt better. It’s good news. It’s a big step and he should be practising tomorrow (Wednesday).”
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Foote said following practice Wednesday that Pettersson is “unlikely” to face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, but will be on five-game road trip that opens Sunday with a matinee in New Jersey.
Pettersson is tied for the team lead in scoring with 22 points (8-14). He’s only had one goal in the last six games, but before that went on an encouraging run of a dozen points (4-8) in nine games. He leads all NHL forwards in blocked shots (51) and it will be interesting to see if he can keep up that bravado coming off injury.
Same thing with contact and his shot. Pettersson can take a hit and will throw reverse hit.
Foote on trade rumours: ‘You try not to think about it, but it’s there’
The constant Quinn Hughes trade rumours continue to dominate social media, talk shows, podcasts, and TV sportscasts.
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In a candid post-practice scrum with a few reporters Wednesday, Foote put the rumour-mill circus into perspective. The bench boss is trying to teach the last-place Canucks how to defend better, bury their scoring chances, and remain professional amid losing, plethora of team injuries and what may become of the captain.
The Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia have been front-runners in speculation and now the Washington Capitals have been included in what it would take to pry a Norris Trophy winning and generational talent away from Vancouver.
“You’re trying not think about it, but it’s there,” Foote admitted of the trade talk. “You feel it certain days more than others. I can feel it and the guys can feel it — they’re human. It can affect a lockerroom for sure, but I give the guys a lot of credit. They’re in a tough spot hearing the noise and they keep coming to work every day and keep doing their jobs.
“They’re pros, and that’s what they’re supposed to do, but they can hear it. It probably affects some players more than others.”
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Practice lines, pairings Wednesday at RA:
Boeser-Kampf-Garland.
Kane-O’Connor-Sherwood.
DeBrusk-Sasson-Karlsson.
Hoglander-Raty-Bains.
Hughes-Hronek.
E. Pettersson-Myers.
M. Pettersson-Willander.#Canucks
— Ben Kuzma 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@benkuzma) December 10, 2025Heard the latest? Quinn Hughes to Capitals is new rumour
Unfortunately the biggest news in Canuckworld these days is still the future of Quinn Hughes. Every day there’s a new rumour. It seems most of the connections involve of course New Jersey because of Hughes’ brothers who play there. Coincidentally the Canucks play the Devils this weekend so expect those stories to crank up. Detroit is also a well-known suitor. A new one that’s not really popped up, but actually makes sense, is Hughes to Washington where there’s thinking they want to load up for one last playoff run for Alexander Ovechkin. Sportsnet “Insider” Elliotte Friedman did an appearance in Washington media and spoke extensively about it.
Elliotte Friedman floated the Washington Capitals specifically as a potential landing spot during Tuesday’s episode of NHL Network’s First Shift Podcast with Mike Kelly and EJ Hradek.
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“One team I’ve wondered about a little bit, and I think there was some noise around them on social today, was Washington,” Friedman said. “This is a special time for the Capitals. Who knows how much longer Ovechkin’s going to be playing? They’re a team I could see say, ‘You know what, we’ll take our chances,’ potentially, if they can make a deal. So that was one team I thought of. I think if he gets traded, it’s most likely [to the] East.”
Hughes is signed to his current contract through next season (2026-27) at a $7.85 million cap hit with no trade protections. The Capitals currently have $3.34 million in cap space, although they could easily free more up by placing Pierre-Luc Dubois ($8.5 million AAV) on long-term injured reserve.
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According to PuckPedia, the Capitals are also set to have $10.25 million in trade deadline space. Friedman shed more light on what the Canucks could be looking for during the eventual bidding war and negotiations.
“What I’m looking at are teams that have a centre and [Vancouver is] probably going to want a D to replace Hughes,” Friedman said. “So, you go up and down the prospects. You look over the young NHL players. Washington, I think it depends on how you feel about some of their players. I always assume, guys, that there’s someone out there that you’re not thinking about. Until someone sent me a note today about Washington, I hadn’t thought about them.”
The Capitals do have the premier prospects and young players that would fit those needs. Down the middle, the team has prospect names like Ilya Protas and Milton Gästrin and slightly older, NHL talent like Connor McMichael, Justin Sourdif, and Hendrix Lapierre. On defence, the most obvious prospect name would be Cole Hutson, who, like Hughes, is a left-handed offensive defenceman, but the club also has the 25-year-old Sandin, as well as recent high draft picks Leon Muggli and Ryan Chesley.
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You may be depressed about Hughes not re-signing as a Canuck but there are lots of options. Here’s what Bookies.com are offering for where Hughes will be for the 2026 season.
Detroit Red Wings | +150 (40.0 per cent)
New Jersey Devils | +225 (30.8 per cent)
Philadelphia Flyers | +700 (12.5 per cent)
Vancouver Canucks | +1200 (7.7 per cent)
Toronto Maple Leafs | +1600 (5.9 per cent)
The Field | +1400 (6.7 per cent)
So 7.7 per cent? You’re telling me there’s a chance?
What and who the Wings or Devils could package for Hughes?
Let’s take a look at who the Detroit Red Wings and the New Jersey Devils could package. Here’s a sampling of the trade speculation, this time from thehockeywriters.com.
Detroit gets: LD Quinn Hughes
Vancouver gets: C Nate Danielson, G Trey Augustine, LD Albert Johansson, LW Max Plante, and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.
To acquire a player of Hughes’ caliber, it’s going to cost a lot. The Red Wings are essentially trading two first rounders (Danielson and the 2026 pick), what’s basically another first in Augustine, and two solid former second-round picks with upside in Johansson and Plante.
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Starting with Danielson, Vancouver gets a two-way pivot with second-line upside. He would slot in nicely behind Elias Pettersson moving forward. And from what I’ve heard, the Canucks are looking for a quality center and had interest in Danielson going back to the 2023 NHL Draft.
Augustine would give Vancouver a goalie of the future that could eventually take over for Thatcher Demko. It’s expected that he’ll turn pro after Michigan State’s 2025-26 season ends, and should start for Abbotsford (AHL) in 2026-27.
Hughes to the Devils in exchange for Simon Nemec, Mercer, Siegenthaler, their 2026 first-round pick, their 2027 first-round pick, and their 2027 second-round pick.
The obvious choice first is moving out Dawson Mercer, who has a $4 million cap hit, and would be an enticing addition for the Canucks.
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The Canucks would also likely be looking for at least one defender in return to try and keep their depth solid. One name that could make sense is Jonas Siegenthaler, who has a $3.4 million cap hit, and could make the money work if he’s packaged with Mercer.
Anyone want to play GM in this maybe-fantasy role playing game?
The Athletic did an interesting take on NHL attendance. Season ticket numbers for the Canucks are still healthy but there were loads of tickets available for Monday’s game against the Red Wings for less than $40 a seat. Still to this point the Canucks have a 99 per cent capacity percentage at the moment.
Vancouver will be an interesting market to watch moving forward. The Canucks’ early attendance has been robust, but apathy is hitting the fan base as the club has plummeted down the standings, with the dark cloud of Quinn Hughes’ uncertain future looming. The Canucks have recently offered more discounted “Student Rush” tickets than usual, suggesting demand is starting to soften, even if it hasn’t affected attendance totals yet.
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The Winter Olympics in Italy are just seven weeks away, but the deadline for rosters is December 31. ESPN has done a roster projection and there’s not a ton of Olympic content. Despite the Canucks being littered with American players, in the projection Quinn Hughes is the only one who makes it. No one in consideration for Canada, obviously. And Elias Pettersson being picked as a winger for Sweden. Kevin Lankinen is in goal for Finland, Filip Hronek is in, Filip Chytill (!!!) in ‘consideration’ along with David Kampf. The lack of Canucks content on Canadian teams over the years has never been strong, outside of Roberto Luongo, but I think Canuck fans will just be hoping for any players who go there to come back healthy and for everyone else to get a good rest and reset.
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Elias Pettersson is one of the players at the heart of this conversation. He faced questions at the start of the season about whether he would be a better fit at center or on the wing, considering his offensive struggles along with Sweden’s additional options down the middle. Pettersson came into Dec. 8 averaging 0.79 points per game, while on a team that is in the bottom third of the NHL in goals per game. He also missed the Canucks’ past two games with a lower-body injury.
Filip Chytil, who has had his career interrupted by injuries, sustained an upper-body injury this season that has kept him on IR since Oct. 20. He resumed skating in mid-November but a timeline has not been given for his return. Jiri Kulich remains out indefinitely with blood clots, while Tomas Nosek continues to recover from a knee injury with the expectation he will miss the Olympics. Czechia’s front office is also monitoring Michal Kempny’s status after he sustained an injury on Nov. 27 while playing in Sweden, with no reported timetable for his return.
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Chytil and Kempny are included on my roster because there appears to be enough of a runway for them to prepare for the Olympics. If not, that would leave Czechia seeking another forward to fill its top nine while also losing one of its top six defencemen.
Did Canucks turn down a deal for Minnesota Wild centre Marco Rossi?
In an article for The Athletic Michael Russo and Joe Smith are reporting the Canucks are interested in Marco Rossi possibly for Kiefer Sherwood. But it’s this nugget that makes us think what could have been…
Ironically, the Canucks turned down an offer from the Wild for Rossi at the draft that would have involved Aatu Raty (scored two goals and an assist and had one goal overturned against the Wild on Saturday night), the No. 15 pick and goalie Arturs Silovs.
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Scott Maxwell of Canucks Army explains the Canucks situation at the time:
Vancouver was in desperate need of another centre behind Elias Pettersson after trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. In that trade, the Canucks acquired Filip Chytil, who had primarily served as a third-line centre. After rejecting the Wild’s trade proposal, the Canucks failed to acquire a centre through trade or free agency. Instead, they allowed Pius Suter to test the market and ultimately sign a two-year, $4.125 million AAV deal with the St. Louis Blues.
So it makes us wonder if this really was a deal on the table why did the Canucks balk on it. And are there do-overs?
Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …
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