Former Vancouver Canucks Around The World: NHL Atlantic Division

Former members of the Vancouver Canucks will take the spotlight in this off-season article series. From those skating with new NHL teams heading into the 2026–27 season to those who are now playing for international clubs, these featured players have skated in at least one game at the NHL level as a member of the Canucks.

Today’s segment will take a look at the 12 former Canucks that are set to compete for teams in the NHL’s Atlantic Division during the 2026–27 season.

Ilya Mikheyev, Tampa Bay Lightning

Vancouver signed Mikheyev in free-agency during the summer of 2022, locking him down for four years — though the forward’s tenure with the Canucks didn’t end up lasting that long. Though he did manage to register 28 and 31 points respectively in 46 games 2022–23 and 78 in 2023–24, ultimately, Mikheyev’s near $5M salary per year resulted in the team trading him to the Chicago Blackhawks in June of 2024.

Mikheyev enjoyed two relatively productive seasons in Chicago after leaving Vancouver, recording his first 20-goal season in three years during the 2024–25 season. He put up a career-high of 36 points in 77 games with the Blackhawks in 2025–26, leading Tampa Bay to sign him to a four-year, $3.85M AAV contract during the 2026 free-agency period.

Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins

Once an 82-point player with the Calgary Flames, Lindholm was acquired by the Canucks in the 2023–24 season, adding to their depth down the middle in preparation for a playoff run. A wrist injury resulted in the center only playing in 26 regular-season games for Vancouver, during which he scored six goals and six assists. By the end of the Canucks’ playoff run, Lindholm had 10 points in 13 games.

Lindholm signed a seven-year contract with the Bruins the summer after his time with the Canucks. While he hasn’t quite made it back to that 82-point form he established in 2021–22, he has logged back-to-back 17-goal seasons and come close to 50 points in both. In 2025–26, he logged his second-highest faceoff win-rate in a single season with 56.1%.

Nikita Zadorov, Boston Bruins

A fan-favourite early on in his time with the Canucks, Zadorov made his presence known with thunderous hits and a personality as large as his stature. The defenceman was traded to Vancouver from Calgary for picks in the third-round of the 2026 NHL Draft and in the fifth-round of 2024. Possibly one of the most notable moments of Zadorov’s time with the Canucks was his hefty slap-shot on the blueline to help Vancouver claw back from a 4–1 deficit in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Joining his former Flames and Canucks teammate Lindholm in Boston during the 2024 free-agency period, Zadorov has posted consecutive 22-point seasons with the Bruins. During the 2026 post-season, he logged one assist while playing with a torn MCL during Boston’s first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres.

Jonah Gadjovich, Florida Panthers

Gadjovich’s time with the Canucks dates back to 2017, when he was selected with the 55th-overall pick by Vancouver. Though he spent a fair bit of time with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate at the time, the Utica Comets, his time in Vancouver only spanned a single game during the 2020–21 season.

After a couple of seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Gadjovich signed a contract with the Panthers, the team that he won the Stanley Cup with in 2023–24 and 2024–25 and remains with to this day. He sustained a bad neeck injury at the beginning of the 2025–26 season and ultimately missed the remainder of the year, skating in only 10 games and recording three assists.

Sam Lafferty, Florida Panthers

Lafferty, a single-season Canuck, enjoyed a career-year in 2023–24 with Vancouver, scoring 13 goals and 11 assists in 79 games as a depth player. He was sent to the Canucks from the Toronto Maple Leafs in October of 2023 and was traded again less than a year later, this time heading to Chicago.

The 2025–26 season marked the third time in Lafferty’s career that he was acquired by the Blackhawks. He was first acquired by the Blackhawks in 2022, then again from the Canucks in 2024 (though his signing rights expired and he ended up signing a deal with the Sabres shortly after), and once more in 2025. He only ended up skating in 29 games through the past season, scoring a goal and an assist in that span.

Jacob Markström, Florida Panthers

Vancouver’s former starting goaltender, Markström, was part of the Canucks organization from 2013–14 to 2019–20. He has played the most NHL games of his career with Vancouver thus far, logging 229 games and stringing together a record of 99–93–27. In his final season as a Canuck, he was named to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game and came fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy.

Markström spent four seasons with the Flames and two with the New Jersey Devils before being traded back to the team that drafted him, the Panthers, on June 30 of 2026. While the 2025–26 season was a down-year for the goaltender regarding his numbers (3.07 GAA, .883 SV%), he will still be looked to in order to fill the gap left by former Florida starter Sergei Bobrovsky.

Teddy Blueger, Toronto Maple Leafs

One of six ex-Canucks expected to suit-up for the Maple Leafs next year, Blueger first joined Vancouver via free-agency in July of 2023. In his three seasons as a Canuck, the center played in 185 games, scoring 23 goals and 48 assists in that span. Towards the end of his tenure, after some key veteran departures, the forward started taking up more of a leadership role.

Despite not being traded at the 2026 Trade Deadline, Blueger ended up departing from the Canucks in free-agency, signing a two-year, $2.5M AAV contract with Toronto.

Dakota Joshua, Toronto Maple Leafs

A free-agent signing in 2022, Joshua spent three seasons as a member of the Canucks, hitting a career-high in points with 32 during the 2023–24 season. He signed a four-year, $3.25M AAV contract with Vancouver after that, but was traded to Toronto after one season of his new deal.

The 2025–26 season was Joshua’s first with Toronto. The forward got back to the double-digits mark in goals with 10, adding eight assists to his total in 55 games played. A kidney injury sustained in December of 2025 prevented him from playing a full season, though he did end up returning to Toronto’s lineup after the Olympic break.

Dec 11, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua (81) reqcts after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during during the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Zack MacEwen, Toronto Maple Leafs

MacEwen’s time with the Canucks began when he started the 2017–18 season with the Utica Comets as a free-agent. He managed to sign a contract with Vancouver from there, making his NHL debut for the Canucks in February of 2019. He was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers in October of 2021, ending his time with Vancouver at a little less than three seasons.

As a depth, fourth-line or 13th-forward, MacEwen has bounced around the NHL a little since leaving Vancouver, playing for the Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Devils before signing a two-year deal with Toronto during the 2026 off-season. He played in three games with the Devils during the 2025–26 season.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Toronto Maple Leafs

A centerpiece in one of the most controversial trades in Canucks history, Ekman-Larsson joined Vancouver alongside Conor Garland when both were moved from the Arizona Coyotes in 2021. The defenceman spent two seasons with the Canucks, not quite living up to the expectations of his $8.25M AAV contract (though 12% of this was retained for Vancouver in the trade), before he was bought-out at the end of the 2022–23 season.

The buy-out may have been the best thing for Ekman-Larsson’s career, as the defenceman then signed a one-year deal with the Panthers, winning his first Stanley Cup in 2024. He signed with the Maple Leafs the year after. In 2025–26, he put together eight goals and 31 assists in 78 games as one of Toronto’s most depended-on defencemen.

Chris Tanev, Toronto Maple Leafs

Tanev’s NHL career started with the Canucks back in 2010, when the defenceman signed an entry-level contract with Vancouver in May of that year. He played out the following 10 years with the Canucks, establishing himself as a solid defensive-defenceman and dependable locker room leader. In 2020, he signed a four-year contract with the Flames in free-agency.

After stints with the Flames and Dallas Stars, Tanev signed a six-year, $4.5M AAV contract with the Maple Leafs, which he’ll be half-way through come the end of the 2026–27 season. A groin injury requiring surgery resulted in the defenceman playing in a total of 11 games through the 2025–26 season.

Troy Stecher, Toronto Maple Leafs

Stecher first joined his hometown team’s organization after signing a two-year entry-level contract as an NCAA free-agent in April of 2016. Impressing with his heart and unyielding effort, the defenceman put together a career-high of 24 points in his first season with Vancouver (2016–17). After four seasons with the Canucks, Stecher signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2020 free agency period.

Claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs from the Oilers in November of 2025, Stecher signed a two-year extension with Toronto during the 2026 off-season. He had three goals and 11 assists in 58 games with Toronto in 2025–26, with this being his highest season point total since his first year with Detroit in 2020–21. Throughout that time, he also played for the Kings, Coyotes, Flames, and Oilers.

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