The Canucks’ best forwards
1. Elias Pettersson
The Canucks’ franchise centerman will be anxiously waiting to make his NHL Playoffs debut. His 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games this season mirrored the point total he posted in his rookie campaign, but don’t let that fool you. Elias Pettersson faced much more difficult competition this year and showed leaps forward in his overall awareness of the NHL game.
Through his first two seasons, Pettersson’s numbers rank extremely high amongst other elite talents under the age of 25. Bested by only Connor McDavid, Petey’s 132 points in 139 games ranks him second place in Points Per Game. His 0.950PPG% is mountains above Auston Matthews (0.910%), Mathew Barzal (0.886%), Brock Boeser (0.829%), and anyone else for that matter. It’ll be very intriguing to see how his numbers stack up in the playoffs. Don’t bet against Pettersson to do some serious damage against the Wild. He’ll be determined to be at his very best.
2. Brock Boeser
Say what you want about Boeser, but the fact of the matter is, he’s still one hell of a goal-scorer in the NHL, and when hockey returns the Canucks will be very happy to have him on their side of the fight. 16 goals was a new career low for “The Flow” this year, but given everything Boeser faced off the ice this season, Vancouver should consider the improvement to his overall game a big win.
Two years completely removed for a rockstar rookie season that was halted because of a scary season-ending back injury, Boeser still hasn’t proven to be the 30+ goal-scorer he showcased he could potentially be that same season, but the steps taken to round out his defensive game really came to the forefront in 2019-20.
Boeser will have nearly five or six months of time between the NHL pause and the NHL’s return to play to focus on his health, shake out the kinks, and dial-in his famous wrist shot. That has to be a cause for concern if you are the Wild. I’m giving Boeser the benefit of the doubt with my full vote of confidence that he will bounce back and return to form versus the Wild. He’s making his playoff debut versus the Wild, and that should benefit Boeser as the perfect hometown pick me he needs to boost his performance.
3. J.T. Miller
This season J.T. Miller was everything the Canucks ever dreamed he could be and more. Taking complete ownership of his game, Miller came to Vancouver with a goal in mind, leading to him bursting out offensively as a 200-foot player and ultimately leading Vancouver in scoring with 72 points (27 goals, 45 assists) in 69 games.
His 25 points this year on the man-advantage makes him the Canucks’ biggest power play force. He also made himself a worthy penalty killer, and my guess is Miller will see a big rise in minutes in the playoffs. He’s proven to be a strong player in all facets of the game, and his six consecutive years of playoff experience are too valuable to this young team. His shoulders will be forced to hold a lot of weight in the playoffs this year. But this is why Benning brought him here. Is he up to the task?
4. Bo Horvat
Considering everything thrown his way this season, Horvat’s first year as captain of the Canucks went quite well. With Loui Eriksson attached to him at the hip, Bo still persevered and found a way to be offensively productive. 53 points on the shortened season, but still another consecutive career-high in points per game for the 6-year pro. On top of that, he handled more than his share defensively, and always found a way to fend off the opposition’s best players.
He may be considered the Canucks second center behind Pettersson, but at this point in his career, his game goes far beyond what some people give him credit for. He’s confident in himself, and he’s good enough to get the best of any centerman Minnesota has to deploy. At 35 years of age, Eric Staal presumably still has a couple of playoff tricks up his sleeve, but even then, he’s a questionable matchup against Bo.
5. Tyler Toffoli
Tyler Toffoli‘s sample size in Vancouver is only 10 games, but what an amazing 10 games it was! Six goals, four assists, and he was nothing short of a clutch performer when the Canucks needed him most.
Now, entering the playoffs with a healthy roster, Vancouver will be thick with capable 20+ goal scorers, and Toffoli will be one of them. He’s the final piece that makes this offense a worthy playoff contender. With Toffoli now inside the top-six, the Canucks have plenty of firepower. His Stanley Cup ring will be a welcome addition inside the trenches of playoff war.