Thomas Drance

Canada, Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks Senior Writer at The Athletic

Contributor at The Sports Network (TSN)

Senior Writer @TheAthleticNHL covering the Vancouver Canucks. Co-host #CanucksTalk on @Sportsnet650 catch us 12-2pm M-F. Author, hockey writer, former PR guy.

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Articles

Four things the Canucks can learn from the Stanley Cup playoffs so far

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

The entertainment value of the Stanley Cup playoffs so far has been through the roof. Despite the Vancouver Canucks' absence this spring, if you're regularly tuning into NHL playoff games then you know that, without question, this is the best the NHL product has been in decades. The chaos, speed and physicality of these games have been exceptional. The momentum swings have been uncharacteristically dramatic, and constant. The skill level has never been higher across the league.
How Canucks' top prospects fit on the NHL roster next season

6 days ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

The Abbotsford Canucks won again on Wednesday to take a 2-1 series lead over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in their second-round Calder Cup playoff series. Given the vacancy behind the Canucks bench, much of the conversation in the Vancouver market about Abbotsford has focused on head coach Manny Malhotra and whether or not he's ready to take over Rick Tocchet's old job at the NHL level.
NHL Draft Lottery another reminder Canucks need more than luck to get back on track

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

This Vancouver Canucks offseason has been defined by uncertainty to this point. This is a club that's found itself in a lengthy, bizarre stalemate with its top prospect over a meagre amount of bonus money. A franchise that's already dealt with a credible round of speculation about the stability of the ownership group, which the club refuted while clarifying that longtime governor Paolo Aquilini had resigned from his ownership duties.
Canucks' 2025 NHL Draft Lottery odds, and the Quinn Hughes pressure point

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

As any VIP will tell you, the NHL Draft Lottery has never once smiled upon the Vancouver Canucks. With the 2025 lottery set to take place on Monday evening, it's worth recalling this sordid history. The Canucks are one of only eight NHL teams to never make a selection with the first pick at the draft, and most of the other eight teams - like the Seattle Kraken, Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights - are relatively recent expansion franchises.
Jay Woodcroft? Manny Malhotra? 9 candidates to be Canucks' next head coach

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

Rick Tocchet informed the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday that he will depart the organization after a successful two-and-a-half year stint that saw him accumulate the second best point percentage of any coach in franchise history, while winning the Jack Adams for coach of the year in 2024.
Why Rick Tocchet left the Canucks and what it means for their offseason

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

Rick Tocchet and Vancouver Canucks hockey operations leadership spent last weekend in meetings, discussing the difficult year they'd just endured, the future of the organization and their plans for a high stakes, all-in summer. Less than a week later, Tocchet and his agent informed Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford that he'd decided not to return to Vancouver as head coach. As the Tocchet saga reached its conclusion this week, it really wasn't a back-and-forth negotiation.
Rick Tocchet won't return as Vancouver Canucks head coach: Source

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

Rick Tocchet won't return as Vancouver Canucks head coach next season, according to a team source. Tocchet joined the Canucks in January 2023, replacing Bruce Boudreau as coach. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2024 as Vancouver collected 109 points and won the Pacific Division. The 2024-25 season, however, was challenging.
Trade chips, roster holes, free agents and more

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

The Vancouver Canucks enter this offseason shrouded with uncertainty. From the head coach to the first line to the third pair, there are a ton of questions for Canucks management to answer this summer. And some major gaps in the lineup that will need to be creatively and effectively filled.
Grading every Vancouver forward's performance

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

On so many fronts this wasn't the season that anybody with the Vancouver Canucks was hoping for. As we settle in for a long offseason and seek to unpack what happened, and what the club should do next in the weeks and months to come, it's important to look at the Canucks' player personnel individually. Who drove the bus, and who struggled? Who overperformed what we can reasonably expect, and what can Vancouver count on next season from the various players currently on the roster?
What we learned about Canucks' offseason plan from Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Drance

VANCOUVER - Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin held court at Rogers Arena on Monday morning. At the heart of their voluminous commentary on several hot-button topics surrounding the Vancouver Canucks as they enter a deeply unsettled offseason, was the fallout from an underwhelming campaign, and what the club plans to do to pick up the pieces. "We had a very disappointing season that we feel bad about," Rutherford said.