Former Vancouver Canucks Defenseman Vincent Desharnais Speaks About His Struggles With Mental Health
Photo credit: RDS
Former Vancouver Canucks blueliner Vincent Desharnais spoke recently about his struggles with mental health after a tough year that saw him suit up for three teams.
On Canada Day in 2024, Patrik Allvin was one of busiest General Managers in the National Hockey League and among the moves he made was the signing of defenseman Vincent Desharnais to a two-year deal after spending the entirety of the season prior in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers.
Desharnais' time with the Vancouver Canucks was quite short as himself, along with forward Danton Heinen were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the package for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor.
The 29-year-old didn't last long in Pittsburgh either as he was moved to the San Jose Sharks less than five weeks later and recently, shared that last season took a toll on his mental health.
Former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais talks about struggles with mental health
In a recent interview with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, Vincent Desharnais said that he was in a tough place mentally after being traded twice during the 2024-25 season and with his year ended due to an injury.
"When the season ended, I was in a kind of tough place mentally." Desharnais said.
He later added, "You change teams. Things are not going your way. Get traded, get traded again. At some point, your confidence is kind of taking a hit. You're questioning yourself a lot, and having kind of that reassurance helped a little bit."
He later added, "You change teams. Things are not going your way. Get traded, get traded again. At some point, your confidence is kind of taking a hit. You're questioning yourself a lot, and having kind of that reassurance helped a little bit."
The Laval, Quebec native also shared that after taking a step back this summer to reset, which included time spent in the woods doing some of his favourite hobbies such as fishing, he feels like he's in a much better place when it comes to his mental health.
"I took a lot of time off in the woods and fishing and no phones, no social media, and that was very, very helpful. And I'm back. I'm ready. I feel good physically, feel good mentally."
As Desharnais enters the final year of his contract, with the blueliner likely set for a bottom pairing role in San Jose, he's looking to prove that he can be a full-time NHLer, not just to the Sharks, but other clubs around the league that could be interested in signing him next summer.
Source: Curtis Pashelka/The Mercury News
San Jose Sharks defenseman opens up about recent mental health struggles
San Jose Sharks defenseman opens up about recent mental health struggles
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SEPTEMBRE 22 | 729 ANSWERS Former Vancouver Canucks Defenseman Vincent Desharnais Speaks About His Struggles With Mental Health Were you surprised by the decision to include Vincent Desharnais in the Marcus Pettersson trade with Pittsburgh in January? | ||
| Yes | 122 | 16.7 % |
| No, they needed to move him to make room | 607 | 83.3 % |
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