The 2025–26 NHL season is officially underway, with the Vancouver Canucks having played in two games already. Around the league, many former Canucks have also started their 2025–26 seasons, albeit with different teams. In total, there are 38 ex-Canucks who are currently on their new teams’ rosters and 22 different NHL teams with at least one former Canuck on them. Here’s a closer look at these former Canucks and which teams have the most of them.
There are 11 different NHL teams that currently have one former Canuck on their rosters. Artūrs Šilovs, who led the Abbotsford Canucks to their first Calder Cup Championship as playoff MVP, is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is projected to play a big role in their crease. Bruising forward Jonah Gadjovich was drafted by the Canucks in 2017 and played one game with them in 2020–21, but now returns to the Florida Panthers for his third-straight season with the defending Stanley Cup Champions. In the west, the Los Angeles Kings have goal-scorer Andrei Kuzmenko, while Ben Hutton returns for his fourth straight season with the Vegas Golden Knights.
A former Canuck who has carved out a solid position for himself is Jalen Chatfield, who enters his fifth season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Casey DeSmith remains a solid backup to Jake Oettinger for the Dallas Stars, while Erik Gudbranson will return to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final season of his four-year contract with the team. Former Canucks defenceman and Quinn Hughes D-pairing partner, Travis Hamonic, starts a new journey with the Detroit Red Wings after spending the past three-and-a-half seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
The Philadelphia Flyers have two former Canucks — a player (Noah Juulsen) and a head coach (Rick Tocchet). Jared McCann, a former Canucks draft pick in 2014 and 40-goal scorer in 2022–23, remains with the Seattle Kraken. After signing with them in free-agency this year, Pius Suter embarks on his first season with the St. Louis Blues and will play his former team at Rogers Arena on Monday, October 13.
Six NHL teams have two former Canucks on their rosters, with two of these teams being located in the Western Conference. The Utah Mammoth have two ex-Canucks defencemen in Ian Cole and Nate Schmidt, while the Winnipeg Jets have welcomed both forward Tanner Pearson and defenceman Luke Schenn to their lineup.
Four ex-Canucks currently play out of the city of New York. Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat and defenceman Ethan Bear are playing for the New York Islanders now. Their division rivals, the New York Rangers, have named a new captain in J.T. Miller. Defenceman Carson Soucy is also on the Rangers’ roster. Also located in the Eastern Conference are Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov with the Boston Bruins, and Anthony Beauvilier and Nic Dowd with the Washington Capitals.
Five NHL teams are tied with having the most former Canucks currently on their roster at three apiece, with two Canadian teams represented in this list. The Toronto Maple Leafs have welcomed ex-Canuck defencemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev to their second seasons with the team, while forward Dakota Joshua enters his first after being traded back in July. Center Curtis Lazar, defenceman Troy Stecher, and forward Vasily Podkolzin are all on the Edmonton Oilers after various methods of movement.
Groups of former Canucks continue throughout the U.S., with the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks all having three of these players on their roster. Playing alongside two Hughes brothers in New Jersey are former Canucks Juho Lammikko, Zack MacEwen, and Jacob Markström. San Jose features two forwards and a defenceman in Adam Gaudette, Tyler Toffoli, and Vincent Desharnais. Finally, the Blackhawks have a trio of ex-Canuck forwards including Jason Dickinson, Sam Lafferty, and Ilya Mikheyev.
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