The Vancouver Canucks are off to a historic start this season with a remarkable 20-9-1 record – the fastest they have ever hit 20 wins in a campaign. They sit second in the league behind the Vegas Golden Knights with 41 points and are on pace to eclipse the century mark for the first time since 2014-15, the last time playoff hockey was seen at Rogers Arena. I think it’s safe to say Christmas has come early for Canucks fans as they see their team among the NHL’s elite, not their usual place in the basement with an early look toward the NHL Draft.
All in all, Santa has been generous with a bunch of early toys under the tree. Let’s take a look at what the Canucks have unwrapped so far.
Brock Boeser’s Emergence As an Elite Goalscorer
Sixty goals. That’s how many Brock Boeser is on pace for this season. Not bad for a guy who seemingly had one foot out the door as recently as last season. He already has 22 goals and is only eight away from shattering his career-high from his rookie season in 2017-18. He looks more confident on the ice, and as Ray Ferraro pointed out in the broadcast last night (Dec. 14) against the Florida Panthers, a step quicker on his skates, too. That’s notable considering speed has been one of the knocks on his game since his draft year in 2015.
Boeser is also scoring goals in different ways, not just off his one-timer on the power play. The Canucks’ man advantage setup does not have him camping out at the left circle ala Alex Ovechkin, but rather moving in and out of the slot, net front and bumper positions and bouncing out to receive passes from JT Miller, Elias Pettersson or Quinn Hughes. He already has nine power play goals – one off his career-high of 10 in his rookie year – and most of them don’t look the same.
After his four-goal game against the Edmonton Oilers on opening night, Boeser has not slowed down. His longest goal drought is only five games and he has scored in back-to-back games five times – his latest coming against the Panthers on Thursday and a natural hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday (Dec. 12). His shot/one-timer look as lethal as ever and he’s not just scoring on the power play, but at even strength too, all while playing on a matchup line with Miller and Nils Hoglander.
All of this to say, Boeser has emerged (or maybe re-emerged?) as an elite goalscorer in the NHL and the Canucks are lightyears better for it. I’m sure fans are beyond stoked that management or Boeser’s agent wasn’t able to facilitate a trade in the offseason.
Joshua, Blueger & Garland Channeling Torres, Malhotra & Hansen
While the Canucks’ top-six and top pairing have driven the offence to a league-leading 115 goals, the bottom-six deserves some credit as well – particularly the third line of Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua. The last time the Canucks had an effective checking line was back in 2011 when they had Raffi Torres, Manny Malhotra and Jannik Hansen terrorizing opponents with their speed, forechecking and physicality. It’s interesting because this current edition bears a striking resemblance to that trio.
Related: Dear Santa: Vancouver Canucks’ 2023-24 Wish List
Latest News & Highlight
Joshua is without a doubt the Torres of the line with his hitting and ability to get under the skin of his opponents. He is also big, has underrated offensive ability and is known to drop the gloves from time to time. Blueger is the Malhotra – albeit without an elite presence in the faceoff dot – a good two-way center that kills penalties, is effective on the forecheck and can score when given the opportunity. Finally, Garland is, of course, Hansen, a speedy winger whose work ethic and tenacity are present every time he steps foot onto the ice.
Just like in the modern era, that third line was the best the Canucks had to offer every night – and they were a big reason why they won the Presidents’ Trophy and led in almost every stat imaginable. The bottom line is, that the Garland, Blueger and Joshua connection has been consistent and probably the first elite third line they have had in over a decade.
Elite Offence & Defence
It’s been a while since fans could look at the standings and see the Canucks in the top 10 when it comes to goals-for and goals-against. But that’s exactly where they are right now. As mentioned, they lead the NHL in goals with 115 – eight more than the Detroit Red Wings, are tied for seventh in goals allowed with 74 and boast the league’s best goal-differential at a gaudy plus-41.
To put those amazing stats into perspective, the Canucks have not had a goal differential that high since 2011-12 when they had a plus-51. Their biggest weakness over the past few seasons (honestly since their dominance in the 2010s) has been their team defence. They have had four coaches since Alain Vigneault (John Tortorella, Willie Desjardins, Travis Green and Bruce Boudreau) come in and attempt to fix the problem with zero success. Rick Tocchet, along with Adam Foote, Sergei Gonchar and Mike Yeo, is the first coaching staff since then that has been able to establish a system that works both offensively and defensively.
Compared to the mess that fans have had to witness since the 2010s, this version of the Canucks is a massive breath of fresh air. Thank you, Santa for this very welcome early Christmas gift.
Thatcher Demko’s Return To Vezina Trophy Caliber Form
A by-product of that improved defensive game is the return of the Vezina Trophy (aka Bubble Demko) form of Thatcher Demko. After a frustrating season that saw him deal with a long-term injury and subsequent rehab, the goaltender fans all know and love is back to his elite ways. He’s on pace to have his best season in the NHL and is arguably the favourite – or at least be one of the finalists – to win the Vezina.
“He is the total package…Size (6-foot-4, 192 pounds), flexibility, quality movement, technique, competitiveness. He’s got everything. You name it, he’s got it, and that’s pretty tough to say about a lot of goalies in this league, I feel like. … His size, quickness, flexibility, he has it all in spades and then he’s got the work ethic to go with it. And when you put that all together, behind a team that’s been playing pretty well, it’s scary what he’s capable of.”
Demko’s stats speak for themselves: 15 wins, 2.30 goals-against average (GAA), .923 save percentage (SV%), three shutouts, .863 high-danger SV%, 1.57 goal differential per 60 minutes, and 12 goals saved above average (GSAA). All of those rank in the upper echelon of the league and make it tough to argue that he shouldn’t be considered one of, if not the best goalie in the NHL right now. When was the last time we could say that? Oh yes, Roberto Luongo, the man they inducted into the Ring of Honour last night (Dec. 14).
Quinn Hughes & Filip Hronek’s Chemistry on the Top Pairing
In addition to the elite goaltending of Demko, the Canucks also have a top pairing to be proud of early on this season. Hughes, the gift that keeps on giving, and Filip Hronek have formed an enviable partnership and might turn out to be the best top unit the team has ever had. Not only do they drive the play every time they’re on the ice (52.5 Corsi for percentage – CF%), but they also rack up the points combining for 10 goals and 66 points. If they keep up this pace, they will combine for 180 points by the end of the season – by far the most of any pairing in franchise history.
According to Natural Stat Trick, among duos that have played at least 300 even-strength minutes together, Hughes and Hronek have been on the ice for the most goals-for (31, six more than second-place Brent Burns/Jaccob Slavin), the ninth fewest goals against (14), 15th fewest shots against (194) and have the 10th-best CF% at 52.69. Whether it’s through the eye test or advanced stats, the Canucks’ top pairing has been a force so far this season.
“What I’ve seen, it’s mainly chemistry. They’re giving fits to the opposition. There was one time in Tampa where (Nikita) Kucherov’s line had two shifts where they were defending the whole time. And they don’t like to do that.” – Adam Foote
Santa Has Been Generous With Gifts This Season So Far
Santa decided early that the Canucks deserved some expensive gifts this year. Amid more franchise records broken or matched by Hughes and Boeser, they have gotten off to the best start ever by any team in their over 50-year existence. Yes, better than the Presidents’ Trophy-winning teams of 2010-11 and 2011-12. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. They also boast a potent offence, stingy defence, and elite-level goaltending that hasn’t been seen in over a decade.
Call me crazy, but I think Santa might have the ultimate gift in store soon – a playoff spot and a lengthy run in the postseason. Could it also include a Stanley Cup? We will have to wait and see.
All stats are from Hockey Reference, NHL Edge and Natural Stat Trick