While our other teams basked in a brilliant weekend, the Canucks reminded us how far away they are from being a real contender<\/p>\n
Published Nov 24, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 6\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 9 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Welcome to Canucks Live. Here we\u2019ll highlight some of the news that drops daily about the Canucks. Come back throughout the day as we update with all the news you need to know. If you haven\u2019t done so already, sign up for our Canucks Report<\/a> to get our stories delivered to your inbox every day.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The weekend provided a stark reminder of the NHL purgatory the Canucks are stuck in.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n On Friday, a sold-out crowd at the Pacific Coliseum<\/a> were wowed by Vancouver\u2019s newest sporting entity as the PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes took a thrilling 4-3 overtime win<\/a> in front of a wild crowd.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the Whitecaps took a sold-out B.C. Place<\/a> through a ride wilder than the PNE roller-coaster, giving up an injury time goal and finishing extra time with just nine players, seeing the ball breach their box but hit the post three times and the crossbar once before sending LAFC home for the off-season in a penalty shootout<\/a>. The Caps now move on to the Western Conference Finals.<\/p>\n The Canucks? Well they hosted the 31st-placed Flames and offered up a Sunday night effort that had all the pop and fizz of a glass of ginger ale that has been left in a glass for a week<\/a>. Yikes, were they listless.<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n With the Vancouver Goldeneyes winning their inaugural Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League game Friday before a packed\u00a0Pacific Coliseum<\/a>, and the Vancouver Whitecaps following Saturday with a dramatic penalty kicks triumph at sold-out\u00a0B.C. Place<\/a>\u00a0to advance to the Major League Soccer conference final, the Canucks had to keep pace.<\/p>\n The NHL club needed to remind everyone, and maybe themselves, of their place atop the popularity podium that\u2019s also being challenged by the B.C. Lions, who nearly advanced to the Grey Cup. Lots of options to spend the sporting dollar.<\/p>\n Nothing sells better than winning and a 5-2 loss against a club playing back-to-backs, and showing more push and resolve, isn\u2019t going to move the fan meter. Either is a horrible 3-7-1 record at home and 9-12-2 mark overall. Is it the mental hurdle of putting on a show or something more significant?<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s anything, honestly,\u201d Canucks head coach Adam Foote told Postmedia before puck drop. \u201cWe go back and dissect it, who was in net, who was hurt, or what\u00a0injury happened. We can do all that, but to me, it\u2019s a waste of time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not being disrespectful of anyone, and if\u00a0I\u00a0think it\u2019s a problem, I\u2019ll tell you. Sometimes, teams I\u2019ve been on get too cute at home and try the extra move and get jammed up early. Maybe, you\u2019re on to something. Maybe dig deeper. It\u2019s\u00a0too early in the year, and with the injuries, we\u2019ll keep eye on it for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n We start the day with a bit of a morning zinger.<\/p>\n The Canucks have recalled goaltender Nikita Tolopilo from their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that G Jiri Patera has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) and G Nikita Tolopilo has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) under emergency conditions.<\/p>\n \u2014 Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 24, 2025<\/a>An emergency goalie recall is made when a club has fewer that two healthy stoppers, six defencemen or 12 forwards. If a team has an emergency situation, and lacks the salary cap space for a regular recall, they can make an emergency recall. The Canucks recalled Patera with Thatcher Demko<\/a> injured and Tolopilo got the call under the same circumstances.<\/p>\n Players recalled this way are paid their normal NHL salary, but their salary is not counted against the salary cap during the emergency.<\/p>\n Tolopilo, an undrafted giant in the net at 6-foot-6, 229 pounds, appeared in two NHL games last season and went 1-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .885 saves percentage. He\u2019s 1-3-1 with Abbotsford this season with a 3.35 GAA and .901 percentage.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Tolopilo will conceivably play in one of two back-to-back games, either Friday afternoon in San Jose or Saturday night in Los Angeles. He suffered an early season lower-body injury in the AHL but pronounced himself ready for the net at some point on this trip.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel great and it\u2019s nice to be back from the injury and feeling good about myself,\u201d Tolopilo said after practice. \u201cThat was a long month but I put in a lot of work. I\u2019m just doing my job every day in practice and if my chance comes, I have to make sure I\u2019m ready.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s a tough schedule, but I\u2019m just preparing. Even the (NHL) preseason games helped me a lot and this is not a big change for me, just a different league. I just have to stop the pucks. It\u2019s simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Thatcher Demko<\/a> will continue his rehab from a groin injury on upcoming road trip.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Whiteboard was getting workout<\/p>\n We used to call former Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins \u2018Whiteboard Willie\u2019 because carried one behind the bench.<\/p>\n Adam Foote had a long pre-practice session with his club Monday to go over systems and strategy for a four-game road trip that opens Wednesday in Anaheim. Zone exits were the first priority, which is understandable. And then zone entries were on the menu. Foote looking for speed, crispness, net presence.<\/p>\n There were also confined area 2-on-2 \u00a0battles for getting to the net and defending with better body positions.<\/p>\n Centre Teddy Blueger<\/a> was also spotted in a red non-contact jersey.Practice lines, pairings at RA:<\/p>\n Kane-Pettersson-DeBrusk. <\/p>\n Garland-Kampf-Boeser. <\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor-Raty-Sherwood. <\/p>\n MacEachern-Sasson-Karlsson. <\/p>\n Hughes-Myers. <\/p>\n M Pettersson-Hronek.<\/p>\n E Pettersson-Willander.<\/p>\n The Canucks also assigned left winger Mackenzie MacEachern to their AHL affiliate on Monday.<\/p>\n Foote: \u2018Cigarettes, cashews, scoring chances\u2019<\/p>\n Adam Foote is always in teaching mode. Are his students listening?<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we defensively? We\u2019ve got to close cycles,\u201d said the bench boss. When a guy drops it (puck) in the corner and another guys picks it up, are we there fast enough? Are we identifying and able to close? Some of it\u2019s being young or young and not strong?<\/p>\n \u201cWe allowed 12 scoring chances (Sunday) at 5-on-5 and that\u2019s not a lot. Four go in on missed box-outs. Usually, you pick those up quicker, but I don\u2019t want to over-analyze. Where are young guys going to learn the game? I don\u2019t want to bury a situation, I want to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 9<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n That\u2019s great. But are the Canucks hard enough in their own zone?<\/p>\n \u201cNo disrespect, but people really don\u2019t know and are just looking at numbers from people that could be in Russia in a basement having cigarettes and cashews telling their scoring chances,\u201d said Foote. \u201cWe\u2019re going to depend on our guys and really recognize what we believe has to be fixed and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you guys are bang on that we\u2019ve got on on guys faster and close it.\u201d<\/p>\n Much more about Sunday slide<\/p>\n Iain MacIntyre has detailed the peril the Canucks find themselves in<\/a> while they\u2019re in this latest skid.<\/p>\n The race the Canucks are falling into is for last place in the NHL and the best lottery odds in the Gavin McKenna draft sweepstakes.<\/p>\n There are, of course, 59 games to go, so the Canucks have plenty of time to rescue themselves. Or they could get worse.<\/p>\n Advertisement 10<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Flames, whose three-game winning streak mirrors the Canucks\u2019 three-game dive, are now only one point behind Vancouver and passed the Nashville Predators on winning percentage on Sunday. The Tennesseans are last in the NHL with 16 points, four behind the Canucks with two games in-hand.<\/p>\n So, yes, the Canucks are closer to last place overall than the final playoff spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Athletic have looked at the plight of all the Canadian teams and the reality of what the Canucks are<\/a> is really hitting home.<\/p>\n Vancouver Canucks<\/a>: They\u2019re just not very good. Worse, they\u2019re in danger of falling out of the playoff race completely. And if Vancouver fans think they\u2019re sick of the Quinn Hughes<\/a> discourse now, wait until this team is 10 points out at the holiday break and facing a second half of treading water at best.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement 11<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And it doesn\u2019t get much easier. The Canucks now embark on a four-game road trip,<\/a> the three California teams and Colorado. That\u2019s four teams in the top 10 with the Avs having the best record and the surprising Ducks being fourth in the league. Yikes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s as crippling as the league\u2019s worst penalty kill, giving up the second most goals per game, and most in the third period with games often on the line.<\/p>\n With the playoff bar set at 96 points, the Canucks need to leapfrog six teams and go on an incredible 36-19-5 run just to squeeze into the post-season, which is more ludicrous than likely.<\/p>\n There\u2019s just too many problems, and too much noise around the future of Quinn Hughes<\/a>, what the clubs needs and what the plan really is \u2014 re-tool or admitting to a rebuild without saying it?<\/p>\n Advertisement 12<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n After all, teams in a playoff position on Nov. 27 have a historic 77 per cent chance of advancing to the playoffs, but it\u2019s not an exact science.\u00a0<\/p>\n Craig Button: Vancouver Canucks<\/a> irrelevant in the NHL\u00a0<\/p>\n TSN analyst Craig Button was ranting on the Frank Seravalli show Frankly Hockey<\/a> this morning when asked about the Canucks. And frankly it seemed he wanted to be controversial \u2013 or maybe he just doesn\u2019t like the Canucks?<\/p>\n They are a participant in the league right now. They go on the schedule and every team gets to say we have the Vancouver Canucks coming to our building or they go to Vancouver. Vancouver right now is irrelevant. They are an irrelevant team.<\/p>\n \u2026 this is what they\u2019ve been for the last ten years, 12 years, and there\u2019s no signs that it\u2019s changing. I thought that they had a chance to be a playoff team this year. I really did. But after watching that game last night; back to back you haven\u2019t played since Thursday you have the Calgary Flames<\/a> coming in and that\u2019s the way you play? Like Sorry. Honestly, the Vancouver Canucks if you look around the league and you give a does-it-matter meter they\u2019re right at the bottom of the does-it-matter meter when it comes to relevance in the National Hockey League.<\/p>\n Advertisement 13<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Trading away Quinn Hughes -it could never happen! Right?<\/p>\n Yes the crazy talk will only get louder if the Canucks keep losing. And already there are rumblings like this one from the Hockey Writers. <\/a>It doesn\u2019t add anything new but it\u2019s a reminder and maybe more.<\/p>\n Talk of Quinn Hughes leaving Vancouver isn\u2019t new,\u00a0but it feels louder now. The big question is whether he\u2019ll sign his extension come July 1. This season has been a test not just for the Canucks, but for Hughes himself. He seems to have made it clear: the team\u2019s performance this season will heavily influence any decision on his future.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s the case, things aren\u2019t looking great for keeping him in Vancouver right now. Hughes has made no secret of his disappointment with last season, and this season hasn\u2019t changed much. On top of that, Thatcher Demko\u2019s injury history adds another layer of uncertainty in the net. If the Canucks are going to trade Hughes, it will have to be a blockbuster\u2014someone of his talent doesn\u2019t move cheaply.<\/p>\n For fans, it\u2019s hard not to feel a bit of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. Nothing\u2019s official yet, but the combination of contract talks, roster struggles, and the need to plan for the future makes a trade feel increasingly likely. Where Hughes lands will say a lot about the direction of this team in the years ahead.<\/p>\n Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day \u2026<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks Coffee: Hard to pump the enthusiasm brakes on Pettersson, Willander<\/p>\n![\"Brock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2247612940_300031624.jpg\")
Brock Boeser tries to get his stick on the rebound after goalie Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames made the initial save during the second period Photo by Rich Lam \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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Nikita Tolopilo makes a save on Nicolas Roy of the Golden Knights on April 16, 2025 at Rogers Arena. Photo by Derek Cain \/Getty ImagesMONDAY PRACTICEPatera assigned to Abby, Tolopilo recalled<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/flames_action006_294005144.jpg\")
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