If the Vancouver Canucks want to beat their Pacific Division rivals to a playoff spot, they will need big contributions from everyone.
It is no secret that the Vancouver Canucks want to do anything it takes to make the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As last season showed, a pair of Swedish twins isn’t enough to do the job. What the Canucks need is big contributions from players who have just started to get their careers going.
In the 2015-16 season, Vancouver tossed three rookies into the lineup that came straight out of junior: Ben Hutton, Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann. In addition, the Canucks put sophomore Bo Horvat in a role he wasn’t ready for and gave several more players the chance to make their NHL debuts. It is great to implement youth in the lineup, but those usually aren’t players you can rely on to carry the team.
Looking at players who can carry the team, though, we have to realize there aren’t many. Of course, the Canucks have Henrik and Daniel Sedin who have carried this team for the past decade. They will finally get a new partner in Loui Eriksson, so these three should score a nice amount of goals in 2016-17.
But they will need help. The Canucks aren’t signing any more top-level scorers, and they likely won’t make a trade for one either. If they want to make the playoffs, however, they will need a strong supporting case for the Swedish top line. Who is capable of doing that job?
Ryan Miller is on the decline, and Alex Edler is not the top-pairing player he used to be either. Jannik Hansen set a new personal goal record, but can we expect a real offensive breakout from him? Alex Burrows probably won’t have another 30-goal year either.
Luckily, we were able to identify three players on the roster that are headed for a breakout season!
Next: G Jacob Markstrom