On the eve of training camp, the Vancouver Canucks touched down in Penticton Wednesday with questions swirling about the two biggest stars on the team. And regardless of what happens at the South Okanagan Event Centre over the coming days, those questions are likely to linger into the start of the regular season. Before the team took the short flight into B.C.’s Southern Interior, Canucks brass took questions from the media. “I will state the obvious, that we’re happy the book’s been closed on last year,” said Jim Rutherford, the team’s president of hockey operations. The tumultuous 2024-25 season was plagued by locker room strife and infighting that eventually led the team to trade away star forward J.T. Miller, enroute to missing the playoffs by six points. Rutherford was joined at the news conference by general manager Patrik Allvin and new head coach Adam Foote, who was promoted from assistant after Rick Tocchett bolted for the Philadelphia Flyers at the end of last season. Foote will be looking for speed and physicality from the players at training camp. “You can do everything you do in the summer, but getting physical, getting into bodies, chipping bodies, revving up to the NHL pace consistently, we’ll be doing that,” Foote said. A bounce-back year from Elias Pettersson will be key for the Canucks if they hope to turn their fortunes around following last season’s disappointing finish. The forward, who makes $11.6 million per year, struggled through the worst year of his career and found himself at the centre of the team’s inner turmoil. Rutherford said he understands Pettersson trained hard this summer. “We also know he didn’t a year ago. Success comes with preparation, and I believe all of our players, and especially Petey, have worked very hard this summer. So, now the test starts tomorrow,” he said. Captain and franchise cornerstone Quinn Hughes has two years remaining on his contract before he could walk away in free agency. Anxious fans and pundits are already wondering if he’s committed to the Canucks long-term. His brothers Jack and Luke Hughes both play for the New Jersey Devils, and Rutherford said again Wednesday his captain does have a desire to play with them. “You can spin this thing 100 different ways,” Rutherford said. “There’s only one guy that’s going to make that decision and he’ll make it for whatever reason.” The Canucks’ best hope for convincing Hughes to stay in Vancouver is to ice a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup. Winger Evander Kane, who the Canucks acquired in a trade with Edmonton, is the only significant addition to the team that missed the playoffs last season. It’s no secret the Canucks are also looking to add a second-line center to their roster – but those are a hot commodity in the National Hockey League. “There’s been a lot of conversations. But, unfortunately up until this point, not much has transpired into deals,” Allvin said of the tepid trade market. The team will only have a few days together on the ice in Penticton before heading to Seattle to open the pre-season against the Kraken on Sunday. The puck drops on the regular season Thursday, Oct. 9, when the Canucks host the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena.
