It was simply a nightmare 2025-26 season for the Vancouver Canucks. After entering the season with the hope of bouncing back from their disappointing 2024-25 campaign, the Canucks instead took another major step in the wrong direction. This is because the Canucks finished the campaign at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 25-49-8 record and 58 points.
The Canucks’ extremely poor season led to them starting a full-on rebuild. This is because they traded Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, Conor Garland, Tyler Myers, and David Kampf all during the campaign. They also made some big changes following the season, as they fired former general manager Patrik Allvin and former head coach Adam Foote.
With this, the Canucks have gone through some significant changes. While this is the case, it is very likely that more are on the way. With the Canucks being in a rebuild, they are entering the summer as a team to watch on the trade market.
Because of this, two notable Canucks are now being viewed as among the top trade candidates to watch heading into the 2026 NHL offseason.
Canucks’ Jake DeBrusk & Elias Pettersson Make Insider’s New Trade Board
NHL insider Frank Seravalli released his first offseason trade board at Hockey 24/7 on Thursday, which took a look at the top 25 trade candidates in the NHL. Two Canucks forwards made the cut: Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson.
DeBrusk was given the No. 3 spot on Seravalli’s rankings, and it is not difficult to understand why. The 2015 first-round pick expressed clear concern over the idea of playing for a rebuilding club during this season. He was also one of the top trade candidates to watch leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, but ended up staying put.
As for Pettersson, he just made Seravalli’s list, as he was given the No. 25 spot. It is no secret that Pettersson could use a change of scenery, as things have not been working out for him in Vancouver for a while. However, the big obstacles in a potential move are Pettersson’s expensive contract and offensive struggles. It will not be easy for the Canucks to move on from Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit until the end of the 2031-32 campaign. Yet, when noting that he is a star when playing at his best, a move could be possible if Vancouver retains some salary.
Why Teams Could Be Interested In DeBrusk & Pettersson
Teams looking for more skill in their top six could target DeBrusk this summer. The 29-year-old had another decent year offensively for Vancouver, as he recorded 23 goals and 42 points in 81 games. He also scored a career-high 28 goals in 2024-25. With this and DeBrusk having an affordable $5.5 million cap hit until 2030-31, he is likely to generate interest this offseason.
As for Pettersson, he is a former 102-point center who is still just 27 years old. If the Canucks are open to retaining some of his salary, that should lead to some teams being interested. He has shown that he can be a very good first-line center when playing at his best, so some teams could look to buy low on him, even with the clear risk.
2 Vancouver Canucks Stars Named As Top NHL Trade Candidates