For the last 22 years (13 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 23rd annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Rick Tocchet (coach), Arturs Silovs, Pius Suter, Phil Di Giuseppe, Dakota Joshua

Incoming – Adam Foote (coach), Chase Stillman, Evander Kane, Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Impact of changes

2024 Jack Adams Award winner Tocchet decided not to exercise his option to remain with the Canucks, instead accepting an offer to coach the Philadelphia Flyers. Replacing Tocchet is his former assistant Foote, who has no NHL head coaching experience and has had only brief head coaching experience in the WHL. The Canucks are hoping that Foote's connection with the players – notably Quinn Hughes on defense – will help the team rebound back into a playoff spot in 2025-26.

The Canucks' main offseason need was a center, and at the time of writing they still haven't addressed that need. Losing Suter increases that gap even further, as he filled in admirably in the top 6 when the Canucks were battling injuries late in the season. Adding Kane and not losing Brock Boeser to free agency could keep the overall scoring from falling off completely, but right now the hope is that Filip Chytil can remain healthy enough to fill the 2C role behind Elias Pettersson (more on him shortly).

Ready for Full Time

The Canucks have a need for scoring, which is why Jonathan Lekkerimaki has a decent chance of making the team. Lekkerimaki has a strong shot that could help the Canucks on the power play. Although he scored 19 goals in 36 games with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, he was less of a factor for the baby Canucks in their Calder Cup win, scoring just three goals in 16 playoff games. He has the highest potential fantasy value of any Canucks prospect, but he is not a sure thing to make the NHL Canucks.

Acquired in the Bo Horvat trade, Aatu Raty was injured for much of that AHL playoff run. Prior to that, Raty had a strong AHL season, finishing tied for second on the team with 40 points in just 43 games. He also impressed in a late-season callup with five goals and two assists in 12 games. Suter's departure creates a potential opening for Raty in the NHL lineup, possibly even as the third-line center.

The "other" Elias Pettersson did not look out of place in the NHL when recalled in the second half. In fact, D-Petey was not sent back to Abbotsford at the end of the season, suggesting perhaps that the Canucks view him as a full-time NHLer going forward. He still has to battle the likes of Joseph, Victor Mancini, and Tom Willander for a spot in the lineup at training camp. He probably won't contribute enough offense to be worthy of consideration in most fantasy leagues, but his NHL future is bright.

Fantasy Outlook

Vancouver's offense revolves around defenseman Hughes, who led the team in scoring with 76 points despite missing 14 games. Hughes is a top-tier fantasy defenseman, and there should be no reason that he can't post similar elite numbers again this season. Since Hughes has two seasons left on his contract, 2025-26 will be an important season for the rest of the team to sell Hughes on re-signing in Vancouver once he is able to next offseason.

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The biggest question mark is whether Pettersson (the forward) will bounce back. Pettersson is coming off his worst season, with an oblique injury ending it early. That wasn't the main story, as the Canucks decided to trade J.T. Miller and stick with Pettersson after the two had irreconcilable differences. Pettersson will be a wildcard in fantasy leagues, with wildly varying projections for the coming season. If Pettersson doesn't bounce back to some degree, the Canucks won't make it back to the playoffs. A continued lack of production from EP40 could also affect other forwards, most notably the likes of wingers Kane, Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, and Conor Garland.

Having Thatcher Demko healthy for a full season would also be a major plus for the Canucks. The Canucks' game plan seems to be centered around a strong 1-2 tandem in Demko and Kevin Lankinen along with an upgraded defense playing low-event hockey. The result would be plenty of low-scoring games, which won't help the fantasy bottom line. With what is projected to be one of the league's weaker offenses, the Canucks' fantasy grade drops this season, and it would drop even further if not for Hughes.

Fantasy Grade: B- (Last year: A-)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.