The Vancouver Canucks are two games through their mid-December road trip, having already won 2–1 against the New Jersey Devils and 3–0 against the New York Rangers. Already, they’ve faced four of their former players, and could easily take on five more by the end of this trip. With at least one former Canuck faced during each stop in this trip, let’s take a look at these former players’ connections to Vancouver.
After Devils goaltender Jake Allen was given the start on Saturday for his team, it was former Canuck Jacob Markström who took on the team that he played for over six seasons. Vancouver and Markström parted ways during the 2020 off-season, in which the goaltender signed a six-year contract with the Calgary Flames in free-agency. The Flames traded Markström to the Devils back in June of 2024.
Another former Canuck who suited up against Vancouver on Sunday was Juho Lammikko, who spent a total of 75 games with the team. Lammikko was acquired by the Canucks back in October of 2021 alongside Noah Juulsen (who appears later on this list) in exchange for former fifth-overall draft pick Olli Juolevi. Lammikko went on to spend three seasons in Switzerland before making his NHL return with the Devils this year.
As well as Markström and Lammikko, another former Canuck who is now with the Devils is Zack MacEwen, who began his NHL career with Vancouver but was ultimately claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers and proceeded to bounce around the league. He did not play against the Canucks when they stopped in New Jersey on Sunday.
J.T. Miller made his presence known in Vancouver throughout the near-six years he spent with the team. Now the captain of the Rangers, Miller played in his second game against his former team on Tuesday. Vancouver traded Miller to New York, the team that drafted him 15th overall back in 2011, at the end of January.
Only a couple of months after Vancouver moved on from Miller, Carson Soucy found himself packing his bags as well. Soucy was traded to the Rangers only one day before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with Vancouver receiving a third-round pick (which later became center Kieren Dervin) in exchange. Soucy signed with the Canucks back in July of 2023 and amassed five goals and 11 assists in 99 games played with Vancouver during his time there.
While he isn’t a current player, Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan did spend some time as a member of the Canucks. Serving as an assistant coach during the 2013–14 season, Sullivan was part of John Tortorella’s staff in a season that saw the Canucks finish fifth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.
Vancouver’s game against the New York Islanders may or may not feature two former Canucks. The reason for this is the fact that Bo Horvat, former Canucks captain and 2013 ninth-overall pick, is currently injured after sustaining a lower-body injury last week. The forward spent nine years as a member of the Canucks, four as captain, and was regarded as an important piece in the team’s core prior to being traded in January of 2023. Horvat is currently day-to-day and could return to his team’s lineup within the next week or so.
While Horvat’s potential — but likely — absence means Vancouver will face one less former player, this doesn’t mean that their match against the Islanders will be without a former Canuck. Marc Gatcomb, who has played in the Islanders’ past two games, did not end up playing for Vancouver but spent some time with their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Gatcomb’s time with Abbotsford spanned 112 games, during which he scored 12 goals and 16 assists.
The next stop on Vancouver’s road trip is Boston, where they’ll take on two former Canucks (and Flames) who both signed with the Boston Bruins back in 2024. Traded to Vancouver in a blockbuster in January of 2024, Elias Lindholm only played in 26 regular season games with the Canucks but scored six goals and six assists. He has since moved on to the Bruins, where he has put up 22 goals and 45 assists in 105 games.
Also traded to Vancouver from Calgary during the 2023–24 season, Nikita Zadorov joined former Flames and Canucks teammate Lindholm in Boston after signing with the team during the 2024 off-season. Vancouver initially acquired Zadorov in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round and 2026 third-round pick. Zadorov quickly became a fan-favourite in Vancouver due to his sharp personality and intense style of play.
Vancouver’s final stop in this east coast road trip is Philadelphia. The Flyers currently have one former Canucks player and a former Canucks Head Coach. The player, who’d been with the Canucks for four years before signing with the Flyers in free-agency this off-season, is none-other than Juulsen. He was sent from the Florida Panthers to Vancouver via trade alongside Lammikko back in 2021 and skated in 109 games with the Canucks.
Now Head Coach of the Flyers, Rick Tocchet spent nearly three years as the Canucks’ Head Coach. During this time, he helped coach Vancouver to Game 7 of the second-round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He finished his time in Vancouver with a record of 108–65–27, good for a points-percentage of .608. As the Flyers’ Head Coach, Tocchet has established a current record of 17–9–6.
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