Canucks: 3 storylines to watch for in 2020 NHL Playoffs

Questions remain unanswered as the Vancouver Canucks are days away from training camp. Here are three storylines to watch for ahead of the Return to Play.

The Vancouver Canucks promised playoff hockey this year, and now they’ll have the opportunity to deliver as they’ve emerged as the playoff contender they said they were —  young, fast, exciting players surrounded by veterans with Stanley Cup rings on their fingers and plenty of NHL Playoff experience.

Of course, real NHL playoff games lie beyond the five-game series versus the Wild, but head coach Travis Green will have his army of Canucks prepared for battle well before the drop of the puck.  Regardless of that fact, it’s still been months since the pause of the 2019-20 regular season, and many question marks remain.

This will be the first time in five years that the Canucks will get a taste of playoff hockey. Sadly, it won’t happen in front of 18 thousand screaming faithful Vancouverites, but nonetheless, this team is built to create some exciting storylines when things finally get underway. Without further ado, here are three storylines to watch out for.

Can Elias Pettersson be a solid playoff performer for the Canucks?

For what seems like a long time now, fans of the Vancouver Canucks have been anxiously waiting to see what kind of player Elias Pettersson will be in the postseason. After all, the NHL Playoffs are a completely different animal, and only the truly special players are able to handle the extreme “Do or Die” atmosphere.

Like no other playoffs in sports, the rulebook basically gets thrown out the window and things get pretty nasty quite quickly. The playoffs definitely favor the bigger, stronger players, while smaller framed guys like Petey often become the target of endless bone-crushing hits. Finesse players (like Pettersson) who take their time with the puck often struggle with the quickened pace of playoffs. Luckily for Vancouver, a relentless drive to win lies in the heart of Pettersson, and that’s something that no man can ever take away from him.

If his playoff history in the SHL is any indication, Pettersson should fare just fine in the NHL Playoffs. As a rookie, he led all SHL players in both goal-scoring (10), points (19), and plus/minus finishing with an impressive +17 rating when all was said and done. Expect a well-rested Alien to come flying out of the gate with energy and something to prove.

Can Jacob Markstrom return to MVP form in the Playoffs?

He was everything for the Vancouver Canucks this season but after a tear to his meniscus, some people are questioning if Jacob Markstrom will be ready to jump right back into it and return to MVP status just like that? With no prior NHL Playoff experience, it’s tough to say really.

On a positive note, even though the injury required minor surgery, it’s said that Markstrom is feeling 100% healthy and shouldn’t have any loss in his cat-like flexibility. In other words, the pad stacking doesn’t have to end just yet. In fact, you can expect more to come.

Backed by Ian Clark, Markstrom put up an impressive 7-1 record when facing at least 40 shots. If it was up to me, throwing the Swedish netminder back into the fire is exactly what needs to be done. He eats pressure for breakfast, and getting his first NHL game out of the way with a barrage of shots against might not be the worst way to do it.

He isn’t the cold and quiet goalie from years ago. If anything, he should be considered a top-five goaltender in the National Hockey League. If anyone doesn’t see it that way, the 2020 Play-In series versus the Wild is a perfect place for him to start turning heads.

Are Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson the support players Benning wants them to be?

If the Canucks were going to have any chance of making a splash in the playoffs this year, Jim Benning knew he had to make some serious changes to the top-six. Opting not to find a star player with playoff experience, Benning decided to target a new supporting cast with playoff experience instead and the stars on this team would just have to learn on the fly.

Next thing you know, out are the old and in are the new: J.T. Miller, Tanner Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli inserted inside the top-six in support of EP40, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat. Sounds like quite the talented group, doesn’t it?

Together again, Pearson and Toffoli bring two Stanley Cup rings and tons of knowledge on what it takes to win the Cup. They were support players in LA when they won, and they’ll be even better supporting players together now because of it.

Horvat is the perfect two-way center that can help elevate the entire trio. They haven’t been seen together yet, but trust me, that’s going to be one of the best second lines in hockey. We already know what the Lotto Line is capable of, so if Horvat and company can get it together early on line two, the opposition is in serious danger.