3 reasons why Canucks will be one of NHL’s elite next season
The Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup window is just opening and next year the team will be ready to battle amongst the NHL’s most elite clubs. Here’s why.
At times this season, the Vancouver Canucks appeared to be coming together as a dominant force in the Western Conference. At different points in the year, they could have passed as the “team to beat” in the Pacific Division. The 2019-20 campaign turned out to be what most people expected it to be (an up and down rollercoaster), but in the end, Vancouver was a bubble team on the verge of becoming a serious playoff powerhouse.
There are reasons to believe the Canucks organization has finally compiled all the right players in all the right places who possess different in-game tools that when played together, can form a dangerous team willing to out-compete and defeat the best teams in the National Hockey League.
The 50th season edition of the Canucks’ main roster was the first glimpse at what’s to come for this almost polished rebuild. They were coached by Travis Green to be a speedy and energetic bunch this year that relied heavily on strong goaltending and a very big bite power play. And with a 2020 All-Star at each major position this season, Vancouver proved they have what it takes. Let’s dive into three reasons to believe why the Canucks will be an elite team next season.
1. The core will be stronger next season
As general manager, Jim Benning has done a fabulous job piecing together a young and exciting core of talented players that, if managed properly, can give the Vancouver Canucks a Stanley Cup window that lasts the decade or possibly longer.
It all starts with Elias Pettersson. First, the Swedish sensation dazzled millions in his rookie season and then followed it up with a mirror 66 points in three fewer games in his sophomore year. Pettersson statistically didn’t leap too far forward from year one to two, but he came back looking like Captain America and proved his added size. He was stronger on the puck, battled the toughest defence all season, and became a puck-possession animal. His Corsi For Percentage this season (63.4) skyrocketed over five percent from his rookie season (58.2) and you can expect that to continue as he matures another year. Next season he could very well become a 90-point player.
Related Story. Canucks: Quinn Hughes will rule the blueline next season. light
Next is the franchise defender, Quinn Hughes. It felt like a knife to the heart seeing the kid’s wildly exciting rookie season cut short. He was blazing his own trail in Vancouver and chasing records all along the way. We may never know if Hughes (53) would have broken Pettersson’s barely year-old rookie record (66), but as Pettersson did before him, Hughes will come back better and stronger next season. Both players desire to be better and Hughes has already shown he improves with experience.
What we as fans have been aching for, for years will finally happen next season. Both Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser (the other core pieces) will eclipse the 30-goal mark for the very first time. Horvat is as hungry as a hockey player as they get and the Canucks finally have the forward depth to give their captain some quality wingers to play with. A full season sandwiched between Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli should help him reach the milestone as he reaches his prime years. Boeser, on the other hand, should benefit from the long offseason and have no trouble bouncing back if he can get his shot working on the man-advantage. The Canucks can be a goal-scoring powerhouse next season.
2. The Jacob Markstrom & Thatcher Demko duo will be even better
If there was a position of strength for the Canucks this year, no doubt it had to be the goaltending. The offence was dynamite, Hughes was often jaw-dropping on the blueline, but it was the duo of Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko that stole the spotlight. Without them, their theoretical playoff ship could have very well sunk before it even left the harbour.
Markstrom showed signs of being a legit starter with an impressive few months of netminding in the latter half of last year, but he more than proved it wasn’t a one-time thing this season. He was a rock from October to now and he had his career-best performance in 2019-20 with a very first All-Star Game appearance to prove it.
He’s an upcoming UFA, but Benning and his staff will do whatever they can to get a fair deal done. Demko was the perfect rookie backup this season, but 37 NHL games under his belt might be a sign he’s not quite ready to be a starter. Who knows, maybe he is.
Demko is going to be a very great goaltender in this league one day, but it might not be worth the gamble just yet. Don’t just give him the keys. Extend Markstrom ensures that Demko returns again hungry to prove his worth. A little healthy competition will boost the performance of both goalies and help push the tandem next year into one of the league’s best duos.
3. The supporting cast is deeper than ever
The 50th season Canucks had the depth to handle a rough and exhausting 82-game grind. At least they thought they did. GMJB planted big and bulky players around his core that could handle an injury or two, but still have the scoring depth to fill the void when needed. A series of unfortunate events stopped the Canucks from deploying a fully healthy squad, but the players placed on LTIR made space for the trade and acquisition of Toffoli to the top-six. And that’s where things will get interesting for the team’s 51st year.
There is a ton of unknowns right now surrounding the state of the league, the salary cap and much more, but if Benning can somehow manage to keep Toffoli in the mix after this NHL pause, then the Canucks will have the scoring power to roll three very legit lines that can score, but also play defence. In fact, they have the depth to roll out a fourth line that can pitch in and make a difference on the score sheet.
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Josh Leivo had a career year that could have seen him surpass the 40-point mark given the proper opportunity, but his knee injury kept him out of action. If, at a cheap price next season after maybe being forced into another “prove it” deal because of injury, he could be the perfect underrated third-liner that helps the Canucks outscore opponents.
Micheal Ferland is another player who will be back to prove himself next season. We all know the story there, but if anyone can benefit from the extended summer vacation, it’s Ferland. The latest news on the Manitoba native is that he’s symptom-free and working out regularly. If he can battle back and overcome his concussion history then he might be capable of being the perfect fourth line banger that season’s goal totals reach double digits of 10-15.
You can’t forget about how J.T. Miller completely annihilated season expectations of being a supporting role player. He shined as arguably the team’s most valuable forward and entering his prime years there are no reasons to believe he can’t repeat as the team’s highest point producer. Even if he can’t, he’ll be close, but also there are so many valuable aspects of his game that he can use in other areas to help this team.
Final thoughts
Next. Canucks: Is Thatcher Demko an NHL starting goalie?. dark
The core players will be better. The goaltending tandem could be amongst the best in the league. The depth could break out and dominate across all four lines. The team is coming together and next season might be the time,