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Canucks: Five things to look forward to in 2021-22

By Joshua Rey

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 19: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks wearing the team's reverse retro jerseys shoots the puck warms up prior to NHL hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 19: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks wearing the team's reverse retro jerseys shoots the puck warms up prior to NHL hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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The Vancouver Canucks had a pretty poor 2020-21 season and they have made a series of moves this offseason to get back into the playoffs.

The 2021-22 season regular season will begin for the Canucks on October 13 where they will be in Edmonton to face the Oilers. They will play their first home game with fans for the first time in 19 months against the Minnesota Wild on October 26

It might seem far away but before you know it, hockey will be back. While we here in British Columbia are dealing with this scorching heat, (When was the last time it rained in Metro Vancouver? Seriously.) the players are getting ready for the upcoming season.

Just like the players, the fans have the right to be excited as well.

Here are five things to look forward to for the Canucks 2021-22 season.

A (hopefully) healthy Elias Pettersson

Elias Pettersson suffered a wrist injury on March 2nd in Winnipeg and did not return for the rest of the season. Before the injury, Pettersson managed 10 goals and 11 assists in 26 games despite a slow start.

Pettersson has headed back to Sweden to train this offseason and hopefully he can stay healthy and be the elite player that Canucks fans know. When he is healthy, Pettersson is the best player on the Canucks and one of the best in the league. He displays the deadly shot, elusive playmaking skills and can show he is a capable two-way forward and draw penalties In his three seasons in the NHL, Pettersson has yet to play a full 82-game season, so here is hoping that he is healthy and comes back better than ever next season. A healthy Pettersson will hopefully join forces with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller to form chemistry on the Lotto Line.

Of course, Pettersson along with Quinn Hughes need to sign new contracts and according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said on the 31 Thoughts (soon to be 32 Thoughts) Podcast it looks like “both players can’t be signed to long term because they don’t have the room.”

Thatcher Demko’s first full year as a starter

Thatcher Demko has displayed some great performances in 2020-21 and the final three games of the playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in the bubble.

Now Demko will have the starting job for a full season which will be a big test for him. Demko will be taking most of the workload this time.

With the Canucks defence being poor last season, Demko was often there to make big saves and keep the Canucks in games similar to what Jacob Markstrom did the past two seasons.

Demko signed a five-year contract last spring. There will be some bumps but under the watchful eye of Ian Clark, he will be looking to prove that he can fully handle the starting role and look to become one of the best netminders in the NHL.

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