Injury Plagued - Only Two Vancouver Canucks played the full 82 games this season
Photo credit: Grand Forks Herald
The Vancouver Canucks' season was plagued by a mix of injuries, misfortune, inconsistent play, and distractions away from the rink, a combination that ultimately derailed their hopes and led to a disappointing finish.
Injuries plagued the Canucks all season long, with forwards Jake Debrusk and Teddy Blueger being the only players to play in all 82 games.
Daniel Wagner from Vancouver Is Awesome writes that everything seemed to unravel from the start with Thatcher Demko's strange popliteus muscle injury. It not only delayed his offseason training but also required a long stretch of time just to diagnose and figure out the right treatment, setting the tone for a tough year. That injury kept Demko out for the first two months of the season.
"The inability to properly prepare for the season was at least partially responsible for Demko's subsequent injury problems once he returned, as he missed more time with back and groin injuries. After starting 51 games in 2023-24 and finishing as a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, Demko played just 23 games this season." -Wagner
Elias Pettersson dealt with a nagging knee issue that clearly impacted his performance throughout the season. The injury, which carried over from last year, forced him to train around discomfort and likely contributed to his inconsistent play, not to mention the 18 games he missed due to various other ailments, including a critical absence during the Canucks' final playoff push.
Injuries crushed the Vancouver Canucks this season.
As for Brock Boeser, his offseason was complicated by blood thinners after a blood clot ended his 2024 postseason early. While he said it didn't seriously derail his summer prep, it was an obstacle he had to work around. Still, he came out firing to start the year, tallying six goals and 11 points over his first 11 games.
"And then Boeser took a dirty, unnecessary hit to the head from Tanner Jeannot that took him out of the lineup for three weeks with a concussion. Boeser still produced when he returned to the lineup, but it wasn't at the same level as before the injury." -Wagner
Wagner also writes that it may feel a bit dismissive to lump Dakota Joshua's diagnosis of testicular cancer in with the team's other challenges, but it's impossible to ignore its impact. Joshua underwent successful surgery and didn't return to the lineup until mid-November. Naturally, it took him a while to regain his form, and he wasn't quite able to recapture the physical, high-impact presence he brought to the ice last season.
Filip Hronek was also sidelined for 21 games due to a shoulder injury, and during that stretch, he also underwent surgery for a lower-body issue. That absence cost him a quarter of the season, no small loss for one half of the Canucks' top defensive pairing.
"The most impactful injury for the Canucks was to Quinn Hughes, who played through a hand injury in January, but then suffered an oblique injury that took him out for nearly a month and forced him to miss the 4 Nations Face-Off." -Wagner
Despite being sidelined for 15 games and playing much of the season while clearly not at full strength, Quinn Hughes still managed to lead the Canucks in scoring with 76 points in 67 games. Had he stayed healthy, there's a real chance he could've carried the injury-riddled team into the playoffs himself, and possibly earned another Norris Trophy, if not even Hart Trophy consideration.
The Canucks definitely faced their share of injuries this season, but injuries are a part of the game for every team. The real question is whether Vancouver was impacted more severely than other teams?
You can be the judge of that.
Previously on CanucksDaily
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