Paul Cotter Calls Out Canucks’ Doubters After Hot Start

VANCOUVER, CANADA - OCTOBER 1: Paul Cotter #47 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated at the players bench after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on October 1, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

Following a season in which they finished dead last in the Western Conference without coming anywhere close to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks are a modest 2-2 through the first four games of the 2026-27 NHL campaign.

And thanks to his hot start to the season, forward Paul Cotter, who has four goals and two assists, has been named one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week. Playing in his first season with the Canucks, he had a poignant message for the club’s doubters.

Paul Cotter Has A Message For The Vancouver Canucks’ Doubters

Cotter, who is playing in his first year with the Canucks, is looking forward to proving their doubters wrong.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the guys in this room as well as the coaching staff, the organization as a whole. I tend to stay off social media as much as I can, but I’d be dumb if I didn’t hear or see some things about, whatever, just people talking about how terrible we were going to be,” Cotter said via Canucks Army. “I think every [post] that I saw, I saved just to have some receipts. I mean, that’s the type of stuff that motivates you along the way, you know, if you’re the biggest underdog in the league.”

He continued:

“We had high expectations coming into this,” he said. “I’m happy with how we’ve started; obviously there’s a lot of things to clean up with where we want to be. But yeah, if no one has confidence in us, then it’s on us to prove them wrong.”

Paul Cotter Is Playing In His First Season In Vancouver

Cotter was taken with the 115th overall pick by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 NHL Draft after recording 39 points in 51 USHL games. He left Western Michigan University in 2018 to join the OHL’s London Knights.

Cotter made his NHL debut with Vegas in November 2021 and scored 13 goals in 55 games during the 2022-23 season. He earned his name on the Stanley Cup when the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers later that spring for the club’s first title.

Vegas traded Cotter to the New Jersey Devils in June 2024 for Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. He signed a one-year, $2.15 million deal with Vancouver in July 2026, then scored twice, including the overtime winner, in his Canucks debut against the rival Edmonton Oilers.