3 reasons why Canucks will be one of NHL’s elite next season
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,