Vancouver Canucks on pace for their worst record in 27 years
Not even the Jim Benning-led Vancouver Canucks showcased this kind of ineptitude.
Let that sink in for a second.
As Canucks fans still process their trauma of Benning sinking the organization in the post-2011 era, it appeared 18 months ago that better days were ahead.
Instead, the Canucks are now in a position where two star players requested trades out of town and were subsequently dealt. Now, the remaining highest-paid players are underperforming dramatically.
Oh, and their star netminder, whom they signed to an extension six months ago, can’t stay healthy.
All of that has culminated in the Canucks posting a 16-24-5 record through 45 games this season. Right now, that has them on pace for 67 points.
The Canucks’ worst year during the Benning era came back in 2016-17, in what fans may remember as Willie Desjardins’ last season as head coach. Back then, he was regularly running out players by the names of Jack Skille, Michael Chaput and Jayson Megna. Bo Horvat led the Canucks that season with 20 goals scored.
Even that Sedin-led shadow of the former Canucks empire managed to muster 69 points with an undermanned roster. Even that team managed to hit the participation-ribbon-worthy 30-win mark, after the regrettable offseason additions of Loui Eriksson and Erik Gudbranson.
The 2025-26 Canucks are on pace to sink to a low not seen since the 1998-99 season.
That was the team’s first full season without Trevor Linden in the organization. Mike Keenan was the head coach until getting fired in January 1999. That same month, the Canucks also traded franchise legend Pavel Bure to the Florida Panthers.
At least that version of the Canucks witnessed a surprising breakout season from 25-year-old Markus Naslund. He, along with a young defence of Mattias Ohlund, Ed Jovanovski, and Adrian Aucoin, would help lead the Canucks to the playoffs in the not-too-distant future.
While there are promising young players in Vancouver’s lineup, they’re mostly on defence with the likes of Zeev Buium and Tom Willander. Both players are also 20 years old, whereas Ohlund, Jovanovski, and Aucoin were between the ages of 22 and 25. One of those guys in Buium was healthy scratched in Monday night’s 6-3 beatdown at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.
Things have taken a turn for the worse for today’s Canucks since the Christmas break. The Canucks have won just once in nine games, and that came courtesy of the shootout, back on Dec. 29.
In those nine games, the Canucks have been outscored 41-20. They’ve allowed five or more goals in six of those nine games.
If there’s some solace for Canucks fans, it’s that the team is on pace to pick higher than fifth overall for the first time since that dreadful 1998-99 season. That was the season where Brian Burke pulled off managerial mastery by selecting Henrik and Daniel Sedin second and third overall.