The Vancouver Canucks‘ 2024-25 NHL season can be summed up in one simple phrase: what starts bad, ends bad. With their official elimination from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, a disheartened Brock Boeser offered a pointed statement, subtly attributing the lingering drama between Elias Pettersson and former teammate J.T. Miller as one of the causes behind the team’s downward spiral.
The puck just wouldn’t bounce the Canucks’ way throughout the 2024-25 NHL campaign. But Vancouver didn’t miss the playoffs simply due to bad luck. Every team shapes its own fortune through habits and performance, and the franchise in British Columbia has too often been its own worst enemy.
It’s turning into a troubling snowball effect in Vancouver, with the team missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in five years. While there’s no single reason behind their elimination with four games still left on the schedule, Boeser hinted at one of the bigger culprits: the season-long drama surrounding a reported rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson.
Although Miller was eventually traded to the New York Rangers, the damage had already been done in Vancouver, and the team never managed to recover in time to climb the Western Conference standings. Still, Boeser made it clear that wasn’t the only factor at play.
“We’ve had the distractions this year and injuries throughout the lineup all year. Yeah, it’s been a rough year,” Canucks veteran Brock Boeser admitted, via Sportsnet.
No playoffs, no party
It sounds like a cliché, but time and time again is proved true in the NHL: the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different beast. Anything can happen when the spaces get tighter on the ice, every shift means much more, and any bounce of the puck can change it all, flipping momentum in the blink of an eye.
The Canucks looked fragile toward the end of the regular season, as the year-long drama clearly took its toll on the team’s spirit. Still, had they made the postseason, who’s to say they couldn’t have gone on a deep run?
“It hurts. We wanted to be in the playoffs again so bad. If you get in, you never know what can happen,” Boeser said. “We were playing some good hockey when we had everyone in the lineup, and then we ran into more injury problems. But there’s no excuses; we didn’t win hockey games when we were supposed to.”
Testing the market
After nine seasons in Vancouver, Boeser’s time with the Canucks may be coming to an end. The star winger opened up about his future plans — and after yet another disappointing campaign, they don’t seem to include Rick Tocchet’s team.
“Honestly, it’s unlikely at this point,” Boeser told Sportsnet about a potential extension with the Canucks. “It sucks, it’s unfortunate. I’m just trying to play good hockey, and then I’ll worry about everything after that. We all know it’s been a roller coaster of a year. There’s been a lot of different things.”
Domino effect?
Set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this offseason, Boeser’s potential departure may reflect a growing trend in Vancouver — one where several key figures could be eyeing a change of scenery.
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That includes head coach Rick Tocchet, who continues to delay an official decision on his future. While his contract expires after this season, the Canucks hold a club option to keep him on through the 2025-26 campaign. However, GM Patrik Allvin made it clear he intends to “have a coach here that wants to be here.”