A healthy handful of Vancouver Canucks talent managed to put up big numbers this year, but there were three players that blew expectations out of the water.
The Vancouver Canucks are well aware that with each passing season, the battle for the Stanley Cup gets a little more intense. With ownership and management gearing their fanbase up for a solid season of post-season promises, this season was going to be no different.
Like all seasons before this one, they knew very well that not only would the team’s star players need to be great, but the teamwork would need to be at an all-time high and a few skaters would be pressured to exceed their expectations. Would Elias Pettersson suffer a sophomore slump? Was Quinn Hughes going to be able to play a full season? What about J.T Miller? Is he going to be good enough for the team considering that his services cost a first and third-round pick?
A lot was riding on the Canucks’ 50th season in the National Hockey League and in order for the Canucks to consider it a successful year, almost everything needed to go perfectly. And now looking back, a lot of things did go right for the Canucks, and a lot of players stepped up to deliver quite the entertaining year of hockey. Let’s break down three players that completely demolished the expectations set out before them this season.