Best NHLers who had completely forgettable stints with the Canucks

A solid resume doesn’t always guarantee the applicant is a hit.

We’ve all encountered a few surprising duds in our lives, and NHL teams are no different. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who haven’t won a Stanley Cup in 56 years of existence.

The Canucks have seen many star players come through the city. But which of those star players were the most forgettable?

That’s what we’ll attempt to answer with this exercise. Whether it was an old veteran on the back nine, an unimpressive young player who flourished elsewhere, or a situation where it just didn’t work out, here are the best NHLers who had completely forgettable stints with the Canucks.

Note that this is different from the one-hit wonder piece we wrote years back. This list will also aim to exclude Canucks who had successful short stints, such as Igor Larionov, Ivan Hlinka and Tyler Toffoli.

Mathieu Schneider

Before the Montreal Canadiens had Lane Hutson, they had Mathieu Schneider.

The undersized defenceman had a remarkable NHL career, which all came to an end with the Canucks.

Former GM Mike Gillis signed the 40-year-old to a late-August contract back in 2009. Schneider lasted just 17 games in Vancouver, and even played AHL games for the Canucks. It was the first time he was in the AHL since the 1989-90 season.

Schneider was dealt later that season to the Arizona Coyotes and retired shortly thereafter.

Jared McCann

Jared McCann won’t soon be forgotten in Vancouver, but that’s not because of how he played for the Canucks.

Ex-Canucks GM Jim Benning and his staff clearly rushed the 2024 first-rounder to the NHL. After a hot start with four goals in nine NHL games, McCann was largely a non-factor.

He was traded in one of Benning’s worst deals as general manager. Although it took McCann some time, he’s blossomed into a legitimate top-six threat. He currently leads the Seattle Kraken franchise in goals and points.

Braden Holtby

Benning might be gone from the Canucks, but his legacy will live on forever.

After letting Jacob Markstrom walk as a free agent, Benning brought Stanley Cup-winning netminder Braden Holtby in on a two-year contract. The idea was that he’d provide some veteran stability for young Thatcher Demko, but the deal was a disaster from the start.

Holtby struggled on a bad Canucks team, and was bought out a year later.

Jimmy Carson

Jimmy Carson’s talent was undeniable.

The player who was a centrepiece of the biggest trade in hockey history, Carson had two 100-point seasons before the age of 21.

And, at the age of 25, he was part of a Canucks roster that went to the Stanley Cup Finals.

You’d think a player with his resume would have more of an impact.

But Carson’s career trajectory was torched by the pressure of being dealt for Gretzky. He fell out of favour during his second stint in Los Angeles, before being traded to the Canucks in January of 1994. He was fine in the regular season, but was marginalized to a depth role during Vancouver’s 1994 season, playing just two games in Round One against the Calgary Flames.

Geoff Sanderson

He had six seasons of 30-plus goals, over 1,100 career games, and two stints with the Canucks.

Neither of them was memorable.

Geoff Sanderson spent a month with the Canucks in the 1998 season, after being part of the deal that saw Kirk McLean traded to Carolina. Mike Keenan dealt him after nine uninspiring games.

After helping the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup Finals, and leading the Columbus Blue Jackets in their early days as a franchise, Sanderson was acquired again by Vancouver before the 2004 postseason. He played 20 combined regular season and playoff games during his Canucks encore without much of an impact.

Mike Peca

Unlike most players on this list, Peca’s tenure wasn’t forgettable because it was bad. It was just incredibly short.

A second-round pick by the Canucks in 1992, Peca played just 37 career games for the Canucks. He was dealt in the trade that brought Alexander Mogilny to Vancouver, alongside 20-year-old first-rounder Mike Wilson, and another first-round pick.

Peca went on to become one of the best defensive centres in the game, winning two Selkes and finishing top-five in voting for seven straight years. He even finished top-10 in Hart Trophy voting during the 2000-01 season.

Michael Grabner

Michael Grabner falls into the Peca category as a young Canucks player who found success elsewhere after a very short stint in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, that’s become a trend throughout Canucks history, even if Grabner and Peca didn’t have the same impact in Vancouver as other jettisoned young stars like Cam Neely, Rick Vaive and Bill Derlago.

After being drafted 14th overall in 2006, Grabner spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Canucks AHL affiliate before he got his NHL shot.

That shot didn’t last long, as Grabner played 29 combined regular-season and playoff games with the Canucks in 2009-10. He showed talent, as evident by a hat trick in his 17th career NHL game, but he was inconsistent.

Grabner was dealt to the Florida Panthers in the 2010 offseason, along with Steve Bernier and a first-round pick for Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich.

He went on to score 34 goals in 2010-11 and get nominated for the Calder Trophy.

Thankfully, the Panthers looked worse than the Canucks, as they waived Grabner at the end of camp. He was picked up by the Islanders before his breakout rookie campaign.

Marco Sturm

Before Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle, Marco Sturm was the best German player in the NHL.

Sturm was never a superstar, but he was a solid top-six player for a dozen years, split between the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins.

By the time he came to Vancouver as a free agent, Sturm had undergone two major knee surgeries.

But no one could have predicted how short his Canucks stint would be. Sturm was traded after six pointless games to Florida in the David Booth deal.

Dave Gagner

The father of former Canuck Sam Gagner was one helluva player in his prime. Gagner had six straight seasons with over 30 goals, and was a monster for the Minnesota North Stars during their Stanley Cup Finals loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991.

However, Gagner had a quiet end to his NHL career with the Canucks. He was largely a forgotten part of the blockbuster Pavel Bure trade.

 

Honourable mentions: Eric Weinrich, Sean Burke, Mike Keane, Derek Roy, Samuel Pahlsson, Keith Carney, Marc Bergevin, Nate Schmidt, Andrew Raycroft, Felix Potvin, Jaroslav Halak, Martin Rucinsky