The NHL’s Atlantic Division is about to get slammed with a whole lot of former Vancouver Canucks talent. We’re talking twelve players who once wore the Canucks jersey now set to light up Atlantic teams for the 2026-27 season. And listen, some of these guys are making moves that’ll straight-up grab your attention.
Mikheyev’s Money Move To Tampa Bay
Ilya Mikheyev’s journey has been a wild one since the Canucks signed him in 2022. They gave him a four-year deal, but that near $5M annual salary eventually sent him packing to the Chicago Blackhawks in June of 2024. He put up decent points with Vancouver, 28 in 46 games in 2022-23 and 31 in 78 games in 2023-24. But once he hit Chicago, things really picked up. Mikheyev scored his first 20-goal season in three years during the 2024-25 campaign. Then, last season, 2025-26, he hit a career-high 36 points in 77 games with the Blackhawks. That kind of play grabbed Tampa Bay’s attention, leading them to sign him to a four-year, $3.85M AAV contract in the 2026 free-agency. What a pickup for the Lightning, getting that kind of production for under four mil.
Bruins Getting The Band Back Together With Lindholm & Zadorov
Boston is basically running a Canucks reunion party, snagging both Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Lindholm, who once crushed it with 82 points for Calgary in 2021-22, was a rental for Vancouver in 2023-24. He was supposed to add depth for their playoff push, but a wrist injury limited him to 26 regular-season games, where he still managed six goals and six assists. He even put up 10 points in 13 playoff games for the Canucks. After that, the Bruins locked him down with a monster seven-year contract. He hasn’t hit that 82-point peak again, but he’s got back-to-back 17-goal seasons and is sniffing around 50 points in both. Plus, his 56.1% faceoff win-rate in 2025-26 was his second-best ever.
Then there’s Zadorov, a fan-favorite in Vancouver who brought massive hits and an even bigger personality after being traded from Calgary. Who could forget that blueline slap-shot that helped the Canucks come back from a 4-1 deficit in Game 1 against the Oilers? He joined his former teammates Lindholm in Boston during 2024 free-agency and has ripped off consecutive 22-point seasons for the Bruins. And get this: the dude logged an assist in the 2026 post-season while playing with a *torn MCL* during Boston’s first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. Talk about tough.
These guys are just a taste of the twelve former Canucks making noise in the Atlantic. With players like Mikheyev finding new homes and hitting career highs, and former teammates like Lindholm and Zadorov showing their grit and skill in Boston, the 2026-27 NHL season is shaping up to be epic. Keep an eye on the Atlantic, because it’s going to be wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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