Buffalo comes to town in the midst of a rebuild

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After this game the team heads out on a five game road trip, known as the Quinn Hughes showcase tour

Published Dec 11, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 13 minute read

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canucks Quinn Hughes has always placed the team ahead of his personal goals, but the time is now to take stock of his professional future. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty ImagesArticle content

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Best wishes to all of our readers and we hope you are all unaffected by the flooding and deluge on Wednesday. At least you have a Canucks game to cheer you up?

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The Sabres come to town and it’s the final home game before they head out on a long road trip and just the third to last game of 2025 at home. If you were thinking about going there are tickets on Stub Hub, plenty of them, for under $60.

Boeser being checked for possible appendix ailment

What do the Canucks want for Christmas?

Health and happiness.

First, the health. The Canucks got Thatcher Demko back Thursday after the starting goaltender missed 12 games with a groin strain. And they recently welcomed Nils Hoglander’s return after the bowling-ball winger suffered an ankle fracture in a pre-season game at Abbotsford.

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However, on Thursday the injury bug was biting again. Brock Boeser woke up with discomfort and was being checked out for a possible appendix problem and is an obvious game-day decision. He needs to get his game in order. Same with other top guns.

Boeser has gone five games without scoring and has one goal in his last 12 outings. Jake DeBrusk hasn’t lit the lamp in nine games and leading scorer Kiefer Sherwood hasn’t built on his club-leading 12 goals in the last 10 outings.

Next, the happiness. A win tonight to end a four-game home stand might give the Canucks some confidence heading into a gruelling five-game, nine-day road trip that opens Sunday with a matinee in New Jersey. If they stumble, stop all the they-might-make-the-playoffs talk.

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It’s been a while since Canucks wingers Kiefer Sherwood and Brock Boeser have had goals to celebrate. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty ImagesRiddle in the middle awaits Pettersson’s return

You sadly won’t get to see the Canucks back at full strength though, as Ben Kuzma reported yesterday Elias Pettersson is close.

Filip Chytil continues to skate on his own in a long and slow recovery from his sixth concussion suffered Oct. 19 in Washington. Teddy Blueger suffered a knee injury in the same game and has yet to return from another injury that morphed into greater concerns.

Add Pius Suter leaving in free agency and it became a riddle in the middle to fill the voids.

The Canucks were hopeful Pettersson would practise Wednesday after missing two games with an upper-body ailment. He skated on his own earlier in the day, but is unlikely to face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at Rogers Arena. He will join the five-game, nine-day road trip that opens Sunday with a matinee in New Jersey.

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Pettersson is tied for the team lead in scoring with 22 points (8-14) in 28 games. He has one goal in his last six outings, but before that had a run of a dozen points (4-8) in nine games. He also leads all NHL forwards with 51 blocked shots, and it will be interesting if he will maintain that bravado after the ailment rehab.

The injury could also affect the mechanics of his shot and a compete level because he’s not afraid to throw a hit or take one.

In the interim, it’s David Kampf, who would be a third-line centre on a good and healthy team, between Brock Boeser and Conor Garland on Thursday. O’Connor will centre Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood, quite the change from being a big grinding winger with offensive potential

Ben ponders in his story how things got so dire, so quickly. They’ve been searching for another centre for nearly a year now without any reward and Ben explored how quickly the team had fallen.

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The Vancouver Canucks had an enviable deployment of J.T. Miller, Pettersson and Bo Horvat. Noodle on that in considering the current plight of centre ice by committee — grinding winger Drew O’Connor has gone from wing to the middle — amid injury setbacks for the last-place club.

The Miller-Pettersson-Horvat triumvirate was instrumental in a memorable COVID-paused 2019-20 season after the Canucks advanced to the Edmonton playoff bubble tournament experience by points percentage. They combined for 48 points (23-25) in 17 games, and Horvat struck for 10 goals.

The Canucks won a qualifying round over the Minnesota Wild, took out the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, and almost advanced to the Western Conference final in a sensational seven-game slog against the Vegas Golden Knights.

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And yet, here we are at the end of 2025, 25 points from 30 games and last place in the NHL.

OK, let’s cheer everyone up with more Quinn Hughes news! Apparently, according to Mike Johnson of TSN, there’s a 95 per cent chance Hughes will leave the Canucks. And … Brad Marchand agrees!

The debate took an unexpected turn after TSN shared Johnson’s take in an Instagram post, prompting Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand to publicly react to Johnson’s comments.

“If your two bros were locked up on the same team … where would you sign … little common sense here,” Marchand wrote.

There’s no way around it, as all the big hockey media goes in on trade rumours, until something definitive happens he will lead their reports as there’s little else to choose other than Hughes news. ESPN looks at the whole trade market, and yep, Hughes is the lead.

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The Quinn Hughes rumour mill is spinning like a centrifuge, mostly because the Canucks are a major disappointment and have signalled that they’re looking to reshape their roster. But that’s just the match that lit the powder keg.

Speculation that Hughes will be traded before his contract ($7.85 million US average annual value) is up in summer 2027 has increased since team president Jim Rutherford said the defenceman “wants to play with his brothers,” Jack and Luke of the New Jersey Devils.

Quinn Hughes didn’t help quiet matters when he referred to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald as “Fitzy” in a recent interview. Granted, Fitzgerald is part of the management team for Team USA, on which Quinn Hughes will play in the 2026 Winter Olympics. It’s also what his brothers call their boss. But that colloquialism didn’t help the mood of Canucks fans preparing for the inevitable.

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Hughes, 26, is one of the two best defencemen in the NHL along with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Since 2022, he’s first in assists (224 in 253 games) and second in points (266) behind Makar (284) among NHL defencemen. Vancouver can’t afford to botch this.

The Quinn Hughes situation will likely play out in one of four ways:

1. He declares his everlasting love for the Canucks and fealty to the Aquilini family by signing a contract extension to see this thing through in Vancouver. This is the unlikeliest scenario.

2. Rutherford’s declaration proves prophetic as the Canucks trade Hughes to New Jersey for a package that includes 21-year-old defenceman Simon Nemec. Quinn Hughes signs an extension that keeps him with the Devils through the 2031-32 season, when Luke Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent.

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I think the Canucks’ actual target on the Devils is 26-year-old captain Nico Hischier, but it’s hard to imagine New Jersey gutting its depth like that considering how much time No. 1 centre Jack Hughes has missed on an annual basis. If the Devils were to trade Hischier, they’d spend the rest of Quinn Hughes’ time in New Jersey looking for a player like Nico Hischier. If that’s the only way the Canucks will send them Quinn Hughes, why not just wait it out until he can join a Nico Hischier team? Speaking of which …

3. Quinn Hughes plays out the next two seasons in Vancouver as a lame-duck captain before leaving as an unrestricted free agent in summer 2027, most likely to New Jersey. It’s hard to imagine Vancouver would take this option rather than trading him.

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4. The Canucks acknowledge the Quinn Hughes era in Vancouver is essentially done, maximize their trade return with contract terms left on his deal, and send him somewhere that gets Vancouver more positionally specific help than New Jersey can ante up.

The word out of Vancouver is that GM Patrik Allvin is seeking young players up front who can help the team immediately, with an emphasis on the centre spot. How many teams would offer that up for two playoff runs with Quinn Hughes, plus the possibility of persuading him to stay long term? Or failing that, have him for the rest of this season before trading him to the Devils themselves?

In this scenario, the Detroit Red Wings are the team that has immediately leaped to many minds. They have 21-year-old Marco Kasper, selected eighth in the 2022 draft. He’s struggling to find his game in the NHL but has a world of potential and over 100 games of experience. They also have 21-year-old Nate Danielson, selected ninth in 2023 and playing his rookie season for Detroit. The Red Wings also have players such as 22-year-old defenceman Simon Edvinsson they could offer to Vancouver.

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Detroit also has the potential to keep Quinn Hughes beyond 2027. Captain Dylan Larkin is a friend. The Hughes family put roots down in Michigan around seven years ago. The idea that Quinn could sign with Detroit and Jack could join him as a free agent in 2030 has wormed its way into the collective hockey consciousness online.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a personal connection to Quinn Hughes with beloved former coach Rick Tocchet behind their bench. The New York Rangers have desperate needs on their blue line and some good young forwards who might attract the Canucks. Could the Anaheim Ducks package some of their young standouts for Quinn Hughes, assuming the Canucks would ever trade him within their division? Can we ever really count out teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars in a situation like this, given how aggressive they’ve both been in pursuit of a Stanley Cup?

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One team getting a ton of buzz this week is Washington. Rachel Kryshak, who writes about prospects for ESPN, speculated that the Capitals could add Quinn Hughes to “go for it” with Alex Ovechkin before rebuilding in the post-Ovi years. She believes centre Connor McMichael or winger Ryan Leonard could entice Vancouver to make that deal.

Around the NHL, the consensus remains that Quinn Hughes will end up playing with Jack and Luke. It’s the “when and where?” that is the perplexing part.

And of course, the Canucks have more content on there, though it’s strange that ESPN considers Evander Kane to be ‘elite’.

Elite pending free agent tier
Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary Flames
Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks
Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle Kraken
Boone Jenner, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
Evander Kane, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Mason Marchment, F, Seattle Kraken
Nick Schmaltz, C Utah Mammoth
Jaden Schwartz, F, Seattle Kraken
Alex Tuch, RW, Buffalo Sabres

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The Canucks alerted the rest of the NHL recently that they’re willing to trade any of their pending free agents. Kane ($5.125 million, 16-team no-trade list) has only five goals in 29 games.

More Eliteness! Garland! Myers! With all these ‘elite’ players you’d think the Canucks would be doing better in the standings.
Elite players with term tier
Phillip Danault, C, Los Angeles Kings
Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis Blues
Conor Garland, RW, Vancouver Canucks
Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames
Jonathan Marchessault, C, Nashville Predators
Tyler Myers, D, Vancouver Canucks
Ryan O’Reilly, C, Nashville Predators
Brayden Schenn, C, St. Louis Blues
Steven Stamkos, C, Nashville Predators
Owen Tippett, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Pavel Zacha, C, Boston Bruins

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Depending on how deep the roster reconfiguring goes in Vancouver, Garland and Myers could be part of it. Garland hasn’t even started his six-year, $36 million extension he signed in July. He has 15 points in 24 games for Vancouver. Myers is signed through next season with a minuscule $3 million annual cap hit but has a no-movement clause that he’s reportedly not keen on waiving. One wonders if that would include a potential trade to the Flyers and a reunion with former Canucks coach Rick Tocchet.

And yes, everything must go! Lots of Canucks content in the bargain basement bin.

Bargain beauty contracts tier
Teddy Blueger, C, Vancouver Canucks
Erik Gustafsson, D, Detroit Red Wings
Ryan Lomberg, LW, Calgary Flames
Lukas Reichel, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Kiefer Sherwood, F, Vancouver Canucks
Kevin Stenlund, C, Utah Mammoth
Oskar Sundqvist, C, St. Louis Blues

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All the players in this tier make $2 million against the cap or less.

For a minute there, Sherwood was one of the most coveted goal scorers in the NHL, with 12 goals in 20 games. That he then went the next 10 games without a goal shouldn’t discourage teams from seeking his services: He’s a hard-nosed competitor who plays physical and, as he’s shown this season, can put the puck in the net. Better still, he’s on an expiring contract with a $1.5 million AAV whose salary is below that ($1.3 million).

The Athletic reported that Vancouver is seeking “a good roster player and have also asked teams for a first-round pick.”

Blueger ($1.8 million) is another Canucks UFA potentially on the move. Reichel ($1.2 million) is an RFA next summer, having been acquired from Chicago in October. Things have not worked out: he’s been a healthy scratch with coach Adam Foote declaring, “We think there’s players right now slightly ahead of him.”

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But at this point, they’re all rumours. And based on the lack of player movement in the NHL over the last year under the rising salary cap, how many of these names actually change uniforms is anyone’s guess.

“Honestly, it’s so quiet right now. It sucks,” an NHL executive concluded.

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Here’s some more fun Canucks content, the Athletic does a ranking of the worst GMs in NHL history to keep their job for five years at least. In typical Canucks fashion, they don’t get the top prize, but they DO finish second.

2. Jim Benning, Canucks
Hired: May 2014

Fired: December 2021

In between: The Canucks made the playoffs in Benning’s first year, with a roster still mostly built by former GM Mike Gillis. They made it again in the 24-team bubble year. In the other five years, they finished under .500.

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Signature move: His best and arguably biggest move was trading for J.T. Miller. But in general, the Benning era was known for disappointing drafts and the constant promise that the team didn’t need to rebuild because they were almost there. They were not.

Bottom line: Every Canucks fan right now is going “Wait, Benning wasn’t first?” But then they remembered the one name we haven’t mentioned yet …

All you can say to that is Thank You Jim.

Yes, if you’re wondering the worst is Islanders GM Mike Milbury, who famously traded away a young Roberto Luongo, but also sent Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe and picks to Vancouver for Trevor Linden. Linden was a big piece to move, but Bertuzzi was a staple and McCabe was used to bring engineer the trade that brought both Sedins to Vancouver.

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The Canucks official website has some interesting nuggets for tonight’s game.

Tonight marks the first of two meetings between the Canucks and Sabres this season: Dec. 11 (home) and Jan. 6 (road).
Vancouver is 59-50-19-4 all-time against Buffalo, including a 34-20-11-1 record at home.
The Canucks are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games against the Sabres (4-1-0 in their last five).
Jake DeBrusk leads all active Canucks skaters in scoring against Buffalo with 19 points (7-12-19) in 29 career games.
In 26 career games against the Sabres, Evander Kane has 11 points (2-9-11).
Conor Garland has 10 points (5-5-10) in 11 career games against Buffalo.
In 13 career games against the Sabres, Brock Boeser has 10 points (3-7-10).
Thatcher Demko holds a 3-3-1 record with a 3.13 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage in seven career games against Buffalo.
Kevin Lankinen is 1-1-0 with a 4.40 goals-against average and an .873 save percentage in two career games against the Sabres.
Nikita Tolopilo has yet to appear in a game against Buffalo in his career.
QUICK NUMBERS

Quinn Hughes has 12 points (1-11-12) in his last 12 games.
Conor Garland has four points (3-1-4) in his last three games against the Sabres.
Kiefer Sherwood recorded 10 hits on Dec. 8/25 vs DET, the tied for the third-highest single-game total of his career.
Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …

Canucks: When Elias Pettersson returns from injury, can he shoulder the load?

Canucks Live: Pettersson ‘unlikely’ for Sabres clash; trade talks toll; Demko returns; Hughes to Capitals rumour

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Buffalo comes to town in the midst of a rebuild

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