Welcome to The Hockey News – Vancouver Canucks site’s player preview series for the 2025–26 season. In these articles, we’ll preview the players who are expected to play for the Canucks in the 2025–26 season. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Abbotsford Canucks’ leading scorer during the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, Linus Karlsson.
Karlsson’s 2024–25 Season
Karlsson had a very successful 2024–25 season for both Vancouver and Abbotsford. In the NHL, the forward made his mark as a netfront presence, potting his first career NHL goal on January 29 against the Nashville Predators. He finished the NHL regular season with three goals and three assists in 23 games, putting up 28 total shots on goal. Karlsson is one of a few Abbotsford players who are expected to push for a roster spot come Vancouver’s training camp in the fall.
In the AHL, Karlsson took his game to another level. He scored 23 goals and 16 assists in 32 games played, averaging over a point per game despite not being in the lineup for a full season. Once the playoffs rolled around, Karlsson flourished even more, finishing the postseason as the league’s points leader with 14 goals and 12 assists in 24 games played. He also broke an AHL record for goals scored by a Swedish player in a single postseason.
Karlsson’s 2024–25 Letter Grade
For his growth in the 2024–25 season, Karlsson received a B- on the season, as he made some steps to becoming a full-time NHLer but will need to do more to stick in the lineup. With that being said, from how his play has developed over the past year, it’s clear that Karlsson has found a particular role to play and plans to stick with it going into 2025–26 — regardless of whether this is in the NHL or AHL.
Karlsson’s 2025–26 Predictions
As a key member of Abbotsford and a solid depth option for Vancouver, Karlsson will likely improve on his performance from this season now that he has spent more time playing hockey at the NHL level. The 2025 Abbotsford MVP will look to make a bigger mark with the Canucks, potentially fitting into a third or fourth-line role while continuing to pot goals at the side of opponents’ nets.
The Evolution Of Vancouver And Abbotsford Canucks Forward Linus KarlssonWhen the Vancouver Canucks acquired Linus Karlsson on February 25, 2019, fans had mixed feelings. The piece going back to the San Jose Sharks in exchange was Jonathan Dahlén, a player who had previously shown flashes of success alongside franchise cornerstone at the time Elias Pettersson. Some had even referred to the two as the second-coming of the Sedin twins. Still, the 19-year-old Karlsson had the belief of Canucks general manager at the time, Jim Benning, behind him.
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