The Vancouver Canucks will have at least six new faces in the lineup when the puck drops on Oct. 9 against the Calgary Flames. General manager Patrik Allvin was busy early on in free agency improving the team (at least on paper) from what skated off the ice at Rogers Arena after their 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. While they lost two big pieces in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to the Boston Bruins, they replaced them with cheaper options and now have way more depth up front and on the blue line. So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at the new additions and what we can expect from them in 2024-25.
Note: I am not including Abbotsford-bound Nathan Smith and Jiri Patera since they likely won’t see many games in Vancouver this season.
Jake DeBrusk
Jake DeBrusk was signed to play with Elias Pettersson (at least to start), so assuming they gain quick chemistry together, he could hit the ground running with goals and points right out of the gate. With his size, speed, and two-way game, he might be exactly what Pettersson has been looking for on his wing since he entered the NHL in 2018. He has succeeded with the likes of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron in the past, so he’s no stranger to playing with elite players. He will also take up shop on the first-unit power play alongside Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes, giving him a great opportunity to improve on the 19 goals and 40 points he put up last season.
Prediction: 30 goals and 70 points playing primarily with Pettersson and on the first power play unit.
Danton Heinen
Joining DeBrusk from the Bruins and yet another player with ties to Pittsburgh, Danton Heinen will be a Swiss Army knife for head coach Rick Tocchet and his staff this season. Capable of playing in all situations and up and down the lineup, I anticipate he will be a valuable piece of the Canucks’ efforts to repeat as Pacific Division champions. He is also joining his hometown team as a native of Langley, BC, so he should be extra motivated to perform in front of the Rogers Arena faithful. Coming off a season where he was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy and scored 17 goals and 36 points after joining the Bruins on a professional tryout contract (PTO), his confidence should be sky-high as well.
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While Heinen is not guaranteed to play in the top six with an elite center like Miller or Pettersson, he will likely be given an opportunity with both of them in training camp. He played 153:24 at even strength with DeBrusk last season, so he might partner with his former Bruins teammate and give Pettersson two new linemates instead of one. He could also be a good fit with Miller and Brock Boeser as he plays a high-energy style that will dig into the corners and retrieve the puck for the two 30-goal scorers. Even if he doesn’t start the season in the top six, he will still be a valuable piece of the roster playing on both the power play and penalty kill ala the recently-traded Ilya Mikheyev – hopefully with way more production.
Prediction: 20-25 goals alternating between the top-six and bottom-six. He will also see plenty of time on special teams, most likely the second power play unit.
Daniel Sprong
There’s a new combatant for the top of the lineup in training camp, Daniel Sprong. The latest signing by Allvin and the Canucks might turn out to be one of the best as he has been a very effective forward in the NHL over the past two seasons. A veteran of 344 games and joining his sixth team at the age of 27, it’s surprising he wasn’t one of the first players off the board on July 1. Even he was confused by the lack of interest in his services.
“It’s kind of a wake-up call, but at the same time, I think it’s also good motivation and kind of put some fuel to the fire”
Sprong has been criticized for his defensive game in the past, and that is probably why teams were hesitant to sign him. But, if any coach is going to turn that part of his game around, it’s Tocchet. It’s also a good sign that he knows it’s a weakness and is committed to improving it. Having said that, the biggest reason he was signed was his ability to put the puck in the back of the net. In limited ice time (he has never hit more than 12 minutes) in 2022-23 and 2023-24, he had 39 goals – 30 of them at even strength – and has never really played with a lot of talent. Now he is a candidate to play on Pettersson or Miller’s wing and his shot could translate to a monster season in Vancouver at a budget-friendly number of $975,000.
Prediction: 25 goals playing mostly in the top-six and second power play unit.
Kiefer Sherwood
The Canucks not only added more goals and offence this offseason but a lot of physicality. Leading the way on that front is former Nashville Predators grinder Kiefer Sherwood. He was a bee in the bonnet in last season’s first-round matchup and got onto Allvin’s radar as a target once July 1 came around. He jumped at the chance to sign him, inking him to a two-year contract in the opening hours of free agency.
“We saw first hand in the playoffs how tough Kiefer is to play against,” said Allvin. “We like his quickness, tenacity, and the way he competes in all situations. Adding another physical player to the mix will work well with the way our forward group is currently constructed.”
Sherwood threw 234 hits last season with the Predators, which would have placed him second on the Canucks behind Dakota Joshua, who had 245. He also scored a career-high 10 goals and 27 points, so he could be good for some offence as well. If nothing else, he will make the Canucks harder to play against, especially in the playoffs where the value of physicality and pest-like attributes are magnified.
Prediction: Another season of double-digits in goals, and 200-plus hits.
Vincent Desharnais
After losing the 6-foot-6 presence of Zadorov to the Bruins, Allvin replaced him with another monster in 6-foot-7 Vincent Desharnais. He won’t bring the same mobility or offence to the blue line, but he does hit and block shots. Last season, he had 135 hits and 122 blocked shots, all while playing his first full season in the NHL at 27 years old. He’s a bit of a late bloomer, having bounced around the ECHL and American Hockey League (AHL) before debuting with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022-23.
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Desharnais’ role on the Canucks will likely be the same as it was in Edmonton. He won’t see time on the power play but will be one of the primary defencemen on the penalty kill. With the Oilers, he was the third-most utilized at 2:02 shorthanded time-on-ice per game (SH TOI/GP), and with workhorse Ian Cole (2:39 SH TOI/GP) now in Utah, he could see a lot more time on the PK this season. He should be up to the task given he’s not afraid to put his body in harm’s way, whether it be physically or dropping in front of a shot.
Prediction: Offensively, Desharnais won’t bring a lot, but the hits and blocked shots categories will hit triple digits, likely 150-plus in both.
Derek Forbort
The Canucks added even more size and physicality to the defence with Derek Forbort. He was plagued by injuries last season that limited him to only 35 games, but usually averages 100 or more hits and blocked shots when he is healthy. He made an unlikely return to the lineup in the playoffs after being shut down for surgery in March, which garnered a lot of respect from his coaches and teammates.
“Tremendous work ethic…I mean, he wanted to come back and play you know, dealt with a lot of injuries this year. And just the fact that he’s a great locker room guy, he’s got a great sense of humor, he cares about his teammates. It’s a good add in the locker room.”
– Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery
So, Forbort won’t only bring hits and blocked shots to the table, but character and leadership as well. Like Desharnais, offence isn’t his calling card, but stout defence and a willingness to block shots and do the little things defensively like boxing out in front of the net and playing physically along the boards. He will also add a lot to the penalty kill, which he was a big part of in Boston recording 3:01 SH TOI/GP in the 35 games he played. In fact, since he joined the Bruins in 2021-22, he saw the highest average ice time on the PK of everyone on the roster at 3:05, just slightly ahead of Brandon Carlo (3:01).
Prediction: Forbort will likely take Cole’s spot on the first-unit penalty kill and see similar average ice time as he saw in Boston. He will also return to the 100-plus blocked shots and hits that he was known for before his bout with the injury bug.
Canucks Will Be a Better & Deeper Team in 2024-25
Some people may think the Canucks are worse off without Lindholm and Zadorov. But, consider this, Allvin wouldn’t have had the cap space to re-sign Joshua, Teddy Blueger, and Tyler Myers, or add two wingers that could possibly thrive with Pettersson. Also, before the Lindholm and Zadorov additions, the Canucks were already an elite team near the top of the Western Conference. If nothing else, they’re returning a similar, and possibly bigger and tougher to play against roster than they had at the outset of 2023-24. Pettersson will also have two goalscorers on his wings in Sprong and DeBrusk, something he did not have on opening night against the Oilers last season. Time will tell, but I see this new and improved lineup accomplishing more great things in 2024-25.
