Vancouver Canucks focused on bouncing back after troubled season

Adversity blanketed the Vancouver Canucks like a storm cloud last season.

A constant parade of injuries, high-profile personnel issues and underperforming stars dogged the team from training camp through the final game.

Now, with a healthy roster and a new head coach, the Canucks are looking to shake off the disappointment and push for a playoff spot once again. 

The mission begins Thursday when Vancouver opens its season at home against the Calgary Flames. 

"I think there's just a fresh breath of air in the room this year," goalie Thatcher Demko said as the team started training camp in Penticton, B.C. 

"Obviously, we weren't really set up to succeed with some of the things that were going on last year."

Demko spent much of last season working his way back from a knee injury. Captain Quinn Hughes was repeatedly sidelined by various ailments. The Canucks shipped centre J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers following a prolonged rift with Swedish star Elias Pettersson. 

Vancouver finished the campaign with a 38-30-14 record and missed the post-season by six points. 

Instead of making big off-season swings for free agents, though, Vancouver's front office reinforced its faith in the players with a series of new contracts.

Demko and winger Conor Garland each signed multi-year extensions on July 1, and sniper Brock Boeser skirted free agency, returning to Vancouver on a new seven-year, $50.75-million US contract.

The deals show there's still a lot of optimism within the team, despite last season's results, Demko said.

"I think that everyone in there believes we can get back to the team that we were two years ago," he said. 

That team finished the 2023-24 season atop the Pacific Division and pushed the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7