Former Canucks In The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially underway. While the Vancouver Canucks will not be taking part in the post-season — unsurprisingly — there are quite a few former Canucks who will look to make their mark as they pursue the Stanley Cup with their current teams. Here are the former Canucks taking part in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference.

Central Division

Tyler Myers, Dallas Stars

A Canuck for nearly seven full seasons, Myers’ upcoming post-season with the Dallas Stars will be his first stint in the playoffs since Vancouver’s run in 2023–24. The defenceman was one of two long-time members of Vancouver’s roster who were traded ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, with Conor Garland being the other.

Myers has made the post-season seven times through his NHL career, with two of these occasions coming as a member of the Canucks. The defenceman also took part in playoff runs with the Buffalo Sabres (2009–10 and 2010–11) and Winnipeg Jets (2014–15, 2017–18, and 2018–19) through his career. Prior to the Sabres’ first playoff game on Sunday, Myers was the only active NHL player to have played in a playoff game for the Sabres.

Casey DeSmith, Dallas Stars

Also on Dallas’ playoff squad is DeSmith, whose lone season with the Canucks resulted in a playoff run. The Stars goaltender has played in three different post-seasons — one for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021–22, the Canucks in 2023–24, and the Stars in 2024–25. He has registered a combined five games played in through these three playoff runs.

Vancouver first acquired DeSmith via trade at the start of the 2023–24 season, with the goaltender posting a 12–9–6 record during the regular season. An injury during the playoffs forced Artūrs Šilovs into the net and resulted in the Latvian leading the way through the rest of Vancouver’s run. DeSmith later signed with the Stars in free-agency.

Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild

Once the franchise’s hope for a better future, a mid-December trade resulted in Hughes becoming the next big thing for a Minnesota Wild team that is looking to do some damage heading into the playoffs. The Wild have not made it past the first-round in the playoffs since 2015; with Dallas as an opponent in the opening-round of this year’s post-season, this task will be a difficult one.

Vancouver made the playoffs twice in Hughes’ time as a Canuck — in 2019–20 and 2023–24. Through both post-seasons, the defenceman averaged nearly a point per game, putting up two goals and 14 assists in 17 games in 2020 and 10 assists in 13 games in 2024. In both playoff runs, Vancouver was eliminated in Game 7 of the Pacific Division Finals.

Ian Cole, Utah Mammoth

Cole is one of two Utah Mammoth defencemen who previously played for the Canucks and will now help Utah succeed in their first playoff appearance in franchise history. Cole joined Utah the season after his one-year stint with the Canucks, then re-upping his contract with the Mammoth for another year. This season, he put up near career-high totals with three goals and 20 assists in 82 games.

In Cole’s lone season with the Canucks, Vancouver scraped together a division-leading season that saw them lose in Game 7 of the second-round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cole was a massive factor in the team’s success early-on for his sharp defensive play and previous playoff experience. He’ll be a player Utah will rely heavily on heading into the post-season.

Nate Schmidt, Utah Mammoth

The other one-year Canuck who now plays for the Mammoth is Schmidt. Traded to Vancouver back in October of 2020, Schmidt’s tenure with Vancouver lasted only one season — 2020–21 — during which he put up five goals and 10 assists in 54 games played. The defenceman was then traded at the end of the season, this time to the Winnipeg Jets.

Schmidt’s most recent playoff run went about as successfully as any player could ask for, as the defenceman joined the Florida Panthers in winning their second-straight Stanley Cup and the first in his career. Previously, Schmidt had come close, joining the Vegas Golden Knights for their inaugural-season Stanley Cup run back in 2017–18.

Apr 16, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth left wing Michael Carcone (53) celebrates with center Alexander Kerfoot (15) and defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) after scoring a goal against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Pacific Division

Vasily Podkolzin, Edmonton Oilers

Podkolzin appears to have fit with the Edmonton Oilers like a glove since being traded there in August of 2024. The forward had a strong 24-point season the year prior and has now hit career-highs in goals (19), assists (18), and points (37) in his sophomore season with the Oilers. Were he playing at this rate while still on this year’s Canucks team, the forward would be fifth on the team in points.

Podkolzin has made the post-season in his past three seasons, starting with the Canucks’ 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff run. While he only got into two games during this run, the season after, he was a much more noticeable force for Edmonton. Through 22 playoff games with the Oilers, he had three goals and seven assists.

Jason Dickinson, Edmonton Oilers

Dickinson has seen some of his best NHL seasons as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, who acquired him from the Canucks in July of 2021. With Vancouver, on the other hand, Dickinson put up five goals and six assists in 62 games played. The forward followed that up with back-to-back 30-point seasons with Chicago, including a career-high 22 goals and 13 assists in 82 games during the 2023–24 season.

The Oilers acquired Dickinson and prospect Colton Dach at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in next year’s draft. Since joining Edmonton, Dickinson has a goal and three assists in 17 games. The forward’s last playoff appearance was in 2019–20, when he and the Dallas Stars lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oilers

Lazar was only a Canucks for 45 games, during which he scored three goals and two assists, before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in March of 2023. He stayed with the Devils for two seasons after that before signing a one-year deal with the Oilers this season. With Edmonton this season, Lazar scored four goals and two assists in 45 games.

This will be the sixth NHL post-season that Lazar participates in. His first playoff run came as a member of the Ottawa Senators in 2014–15, followed by a one-game performance with the Calgary Flames in 2016–17. The bulk of his post-season experience comes from his time with the Boston Bruins in 2020–21 and 2021–22, during which he played in 10 and seven games respectively.

Andrei Kuzmenko, Los Angeles Kings

Due to a meniscus tear suffered on February 25 against Vegas, Kuzmenko’s season ended early as the forward required time to adjust after undergoing surgery. Prior to the injury, the forward put up 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games played. He has since appeared to recover and is now available to play for his team, though he did not end up skating in Game 1 of Los Angeles’ series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Kuzmenko has only been to the post-season once while in the NHL — in 2024–25 with the Kings. Despite Los Angeles being eliminated in the first round in Game 6 against the Oilers, the forward scored three goals and three assists.

Ben Hutton, Vegas Golden Knights

Hutton seems to have found a great fit with the Golden Knights since departing from Vancouver. After bouncing around from Los Angeles, to the Anaheim Ducks, to the Toronto Maple Leafs, he found himself in Vegas where he has since spent the past five seasons. He hit a new season-high in points with the Golden Knights, putting up six goals and nine assists in 55 games this year.

All of Hutton’s career post-season experience has come as a member of the Golden Knights. He played in two playoff games with Vegas in their Stanley Cup-winning effort in 2023, also taking part in one game the season after.

Nic Dowd, Vegas Golden Knights

Once a Canuck for only 40 games, Dowd’s eight-year tenure with the Washington Capitals ended at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, when he was moved to Vegas in exchange for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick. Through 20 regular season games with the Golden Knights this season, Dowd put up a goal and four assists.

Aside from this season, Dowd has taken part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times throughout his career, all with Washington. In 40 total playoff games with the Capitals, Dowd scored four goals and two assists, with his highest single-season numbers being registered in 2020–21 (2 G, 5 GP) and 2021–22 (1 G, 1 A, 6 GP).

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