All three players Canucks got in the Hughes trade are struggling

We knew there’d be days like this.

The Vancouver Canucks have lost nine games in a row and now sit in last place in the NHL standings. Judging from the comments from players, frustration is mounting.

Some players are struggling more than others, but there have been some bright spots. Elias Pettersson is a point-per-game player, for instance, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki has put up an impressive nine points in 12 games. Defenceman Elias Pettersson has three goals and is handling big minutes capably. And goaltender Leevi Meriläinen, who the Canucks picked up off waivers last month, has a .917 save percentage in seven appearances.

Many of the other players on the roster are having a really tough time, though, and that includes the trio acquired in the Quinn Hughes trade last December.

It hasn’t been an easy season for Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, or Marco Rossi thus far.

Buium’s struggles have been well-documented. The 20-year-old blueliner has no goals and just three assists in 12 games, and was dropped from the first pair to the third pair.

No Canucks player has been on the ice for more goals-for at five-on-five (9) than Buium. Unfortunately, the San Diego native has also been on the ice for 15 goals-against at five-on-five, which is the second highest on the team.

Öhgren, meanwhile, was a healthy scratch on Thursday. The 22-year-old winger has five points (2-3-5) in 11 games.

Rossi returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing two games with an illness. The 25-year-old Austrian has five points (3-2-5) in 10 games.

If you count Adam Novotny, whom the Canucks drafted with the first-round pick acquired from the Minnesota Wild, then there is one player from the trade that is thriving. The 18-year-old Czech winger has 18 points (7-11-18) in 11 OHL games with Peterborough.

Hughes, who returns to Rogers Arena on Sunday, is of course piling up the points. The former Canucks captain has 13 points (2-11-13) in 11 games with the Wild this season.

Was the Hughes trade a good one for the Canucks? Given the number of young players acquired in the deal, we likely won’t know the answer to that question for a few years. I happen to think they did well, given the circumstances, to acquire as many good, young players as they did.

Buium, who signed a massive $75.04-million contract in September, should still have a bright future. Given the level of on-ice dysfunction around him, it’s not exactly an easy environment to thrive in.

Öhgren has potential, too, and has shown enough good things during his time in Vancouver to justify remaining patient with him.

Rossi is at an age where you can start expecting results, but there’s no reason to panic after 10 games.

So should there be concern? I’m not prepared to go that far, but of course it would be more encouraging if the trio of Buium, Öhgren, and Rossi got off to hot starts.

Asked if the challenge of this season was more difficult earlier than expected, GM Ryan Johnson was defiant in a Friday interview on Donnie and Dhali.

“Not whatsoever,” Johnson said in response to a question posed by Ryan Henderson. “The very first meeting I had with [the players] in Penticton, the first five minutes of that was preparing them for how hard this was actually going to be. A lot of us are here because we’re able to do hard things. I tried to prepare them for really how difficult this was going to be, and we’re seeing it play out right in front of us.”

"When it's not going well that's where your true colours really come out. That's where we have to be good teammates and professionals."#Canucks GM Ryan Johnson joined us to talk about the difficult start to the season.

Full interview:https://t.co/TKBPNvPtNs pic.twitter.com/JBDROUbuYJ

— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) October 23, 2026

We’ll see if things get easier for the Canucks after the brutal schedule they’ve just completed.

Four of their 12 games came against the top two teams in the league, playing the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers twice each. Nine of their 12 opponents are currently in a playoff spot.

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