The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 6 players that exceeded expectations this season

By Brayden Ursel

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 03: The Vancouver Canucks celebrate their 4-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on September 03, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 03: The Vancouver Canucks celebrate their 4-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on September 03, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Canucks congratulate Thatcher Demko on a 48-save shutout. His first-ever (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Canucks congratulate Thatcher Demko on a 48-save shutout. His first-ever (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The Vancouver Canucks season as a whole exceeded expectations, but it was because of the incredible play from key players that carried the team so far.

The road to success is always under construction.

The Vancouver Canucks were the underdog of the 2020 NHL Playoffs. That underdog rose to the occasion on more that one account and turned what was expected to be an average season into a very entertaining, fast-paced, fun to watch style of hockey that hasn’t been seen in Vancouver for years.

The “buy-in” mentality was had by all players involved and it catapulted this young team to new and challenging heights. A playoff berth was fought for and earned by not only a long and difficult season but also a best-of-five battle with the Minnesota Wild that saw the Canucks come out on top after an overtime win in Game 4.

From there, Jim Benning’s promise was fulfilled, but this Vancouver hockey team was hungry for more. They wanted to prove themselves to the entire league. The Canucks wanted to put this team back on the map. They did that by defeating the defending Stanley Cup Champions in six games and lasting against the Vegas Knights through seven backbreaking contests.

Expectations were shattered. The playoff hockey was entertaining. The future is now right around the corner. Let’s take a look at some of the most positive outcomes had by players as the Vancouver Canucks celebrated their 50th season in the NHL.

Quinn Hughes is one of the NHL’s best defensemen

People have known for a while now that Quinn Hughes is the best defenseman to ever walk the blueline in a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Now with a full season under his belt along with an impressive first NHL playoff run, it is known across the entire National Hockey League.

Leading all NHL rookies in points this year as a Calder Trophy favorite, the 20-year-old gained more confidence and control as the season wore on. Travis Green couldn’t deny his abilities for long and through 68 games played as a rookie, Hughes totaled 53 points with eight goals and 45 assists.

After just six games on PP2, Hughes got the call to the first unit and never looked back. His calm demeanor allowed him to walk the line and his incredible skating ability made him nearly untouchable. He racked up a team-leading 25 points on the man-advantage and helped Vancouver’s powerplay linger inside the top-five all season long.

Rested and ready for his first NHL Playoffs experience, Hughes managed to raise the bar and put his game on a whole new level. Shattering records as he did in the regular season, Hughes did the same thing in the playoffs. Could we expect any less from him at this point? He passed Al Macinnis with 16 points making him the highest-scoring rookie defender of all-time in the NHL Playoffs.

According to the Larschcast, Hughes did it all while playing through a knee and ankle injury that required treatment three times per day. Imagine what he could have done with full health? The kid has launched himself into the conversation of being a top-five defender in the NHL and he is just getting started. The best is yet to come for the Orlando, Florida native.

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