Canucks Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Foote’s Future, Garland Trade Rumours, Olympics Begin & More – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks and the rest of the NHL are officially on pause for the Winter Olympics, which are taking place in Milan-Cortina, Italy, until Feb. 22. The Canucks’ next game is on Feb. 25 against the Winnipeg Jets, marking 20 days since they last played on Feb. 4 when they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2.

Even though no NHL games are being played or roster moves allowed until Feb. 23, there are still storylines to follow in Canucks Nation. Let’s take a look at a few of them heading into the first full week of the Olympic break (Feb. 9 – 16).

I think it’s safe to say Adam Foote‘s first season as head coach has not gone according to plan. In fact, he will likely preside over one of the worst teams in franchise history – at least when it comes to the standings and statsheets. Under his watch, the Canucks are in the basement of several categories: points (42), goal differential (negative-61), penalty kill (70.6 percent), home wins (six) and regulation wins (12). They also lead the league in goals-against per game (3.65) and regulation losses (33). In other words, they live up to their 32nd place and the best odds to land the first-overall pick in the 2026 Draft.

The season has gone so badly that the front office has given in and uttered the word “rebuild”, and fans have called for Foote’s head, not even a year into his tenure as head coach. But, despite the unrest in the fanbase and constant losing, president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin have seemingly hitched their wagon to Foote. According to TSN insider Darren Dreger, they have no interest in removing him behind the bench right now.

Allvin also went on record earlier in January, saying, “I do trust the coaching staff and Adam Foote…There are pockets and stretches where we’re playing really well. There was a stretch of seven weeks in late November to early January when our penalty kill was really good, but that was based on you have your goalie and you’re fairly healthy. That being said, I don’t want to use excuses. Our job is to win hockey games and we need to get better, all of us. And I know the coaches are working on the solutions and working with the players to perform better, and we need to.”

Even with Dreger’s report and Allvin’s vote of confidence, that doesn’t mean a change won’t be made in the offseason. We will see what happens in the next few months, but it appears Foote is still management’s guy to lead the rebuild – at least for now.

Conor Garland Still Hearing His Name in Trade Rumours

Being last in the league usually comes with a lot of speculation and trade rumours, and the Canucks have not been spared from that. Every single veteran has found their name in the rumour mill at some point this season, and Conor Garland, even after committing to the franchise in the offseason, might end up somewhere else in the coming months.

Rick Dhaliwal said on Friday’s episode of Halford and Brough that he doesn’t believe Garland wants out of Vancouver. However, the front office is taking calls on him, gauging what they could get in a trade. Garland was one of the Canucks’ best players at the beginning of the season, but has fallen off a cliff offensively since they traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. He hasn’t scored since Dec. 16 and only has three points in his last 15 games. Teams will still be interested, though, given his style and consistent work ethic, even though that has been questioned recently by fans and analysts.

If a trade happens, it will occur before the trade deadline or July 1, when his extension and no-movement clause kick in. Once he can dictate if (and where) he’s traded, then it will be nearly impossible to get what he’s worth on the trade market.

Filip Hronek Next Captain of the Canucks?

Since his regular defence partner was dealt to the Wild, Filip Hronek has taken on a larger leadership role with the Canucks. He continues to lead the team in ice time with an average of 24:26 a night, and is second only to Pettersson in points with 34. He’s on pace to match the career-high he set in 2023-24, and he’s become a mentor to young defenders Tom Willander, Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson.

“He’s very good at using his voice on the bench and on the sheet,” Willander said of Hronek’s counsel. “I think he’s got a lot of heart, you know? You can tell, like, he plays his heart out every night. And I like his game, too. He plays a two-way game. I feel like many guys, when they start getting points, they kind of shy away a little bit from the defensive side. But he plays hard (everywhere).”

All of that has led to Hronek being in the conversation to take over the “C” that used to don Hughes’ sweater. He might be a surprise candidate given his lack of media presence in the past, but even that has changed since Hughes was moved. He has appeared in postgame interviews more often, and teammates (and his head coach) have come out of the woodwork to praise his leadership and how he handles himself on the ice.

“He’s grown a lot, and he’ll continue to grow. I know he was good friends with J.T. Miller, and (that trade) hurt him, too. We all have buddies in the game. The longer you play, the more you realize guys come and go. That happens in hockey. I just think that Fil had to grow. I thought Fil could get to this point, but probably not this quick. I thought it would take longer. But his leadership, I think he’s ready to take another step there.”

Now Hronek is off to Italy to be that same thing for his home country of Czechia. David Kampf, who will be joining him, called him their best defenceman and “the biggest player.” He’s a leader, not only in Vancouver but in his country, too. Clearly, we were missing something when he was in Hughes’ shadow.

Men’s Tournament Begins in Italy on Feb. 11

Hronek and Kampf are two of seven Canucks who will be suiting up for their countries in Italy, starting on Feb. 11. Alongside them, Elias Pettersson (Sweden), Kevin Lankinen (Finland), and Teddy Blueger (Latvia) will be joined by Anrī Ravinskis (Latvia) and Lukas Reichel (Germany), who have been playing in Abbotsford.

Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament

Below is the schedule and when you can watch them. Get ready to wake up early, because some games start at three in the morning!

Preliminary Round Schedule