2018-19: Elias Pettersson arrives
Quite simply, Elias Pettersson almost singlehandedly completed the Canucks’ rebuild last season. In the Canucks’ first season without a Sedin in the opening night lineup since the early 2000s, many people were worrying where the offence was going to come from.
Well, on opening night, Pettersson showed that he had some tricks up his sleeve to help provide some offence for the Canucks. Pettersson changed everything in Vancouver last season. The way he carried himself as a rookie is a true case of a player leading by example and making those around him better.
Pettersson had a historic season last year and unlike the rest of the memorable moments listed in this article, there’s no way you’ve already gotten forgotten about Pettersson’s rookie campaign. He tied then quickly broke Pavel Bure‘s Canucks’ rookie scoring record, and became the first Canuck to win the Calder Trophy since Bure.
Pettersson struck chemistry with Brock Boeser, and both of them, along with Bo Horvat, emerged as young leaders and the next core for the Canucks. Now it’s time to sit back and continue to watch this young core develop together, and see what they can accomplish.
The last five years have been forgettable years, but these are the most memorable moments from each season in my opinion. What’s a memory that stands out to you from over the past five years? Let me know in the comments section below!