The Vancouver Canucks failed again by letting Brandon Buhr join the Toronto Maple Leafs
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 18, 2026 (5:21 PM)
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs reporting made it official, Brandon Buhr, 23, picked Toronto over Vancouver interest, and the Canucks lost a low-cost winger option.
The Leafs announced a one-year contract starting in 2026-27, with Brandon Buhr joining the Toronto Marlies immediately on an amateur tryout. No AAV or clauses were disclosed.
That matters because Buhr is not just another college flyer. He is a Burnaby-born, undrafted right wing who fits the exact profile Vancouver should be stockpiling.
He produced 19-17-36 in 35 games at Union College, and the attraction is easy to read. Size, straight-line pace, right-shot depth, and traffic-game habits travel.
For the Canucks, this is where the miss stings. Vancouver is 21-38-8, and cheap internal competition should be part of every decision now.
The front office identified the player. Toronto closed faster, and that is the part Canucks fans should notice.
You can see the first signal here, Vancouver was in the mix before the door shut.
Then the Leafs posted the finish, pen to paper, path to the Marlies, development starting now.
Brandon Buhr exposed a Vancouver Canucks problem
Fans have every right to be frustrated, because this was the kind of small roster win bad teams cannot keep giving away.
Buhr was never a top-six fix for the next NHL game. He was the kind of inexpensive wing swing that could help Abbotsford, push a veteran, and earn September reps.
That is the real lesson. Toronto sold opportunity, speed to the ladder, and organizational clarity, while Vancouver watched a local power forward choose a cleaner runway.
For a club still searching for useful NHL support pieces, losing Buhr hurts less on talent alone than on process.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 18|122 ANSWERS The Vancouver Canucks failed again by letting Brandon Buhr join the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Canucks fans be annoyed Vancouver lost Brandon Buhr to Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 58.2 % |
| No | 51 | 41.8 % |
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