The Vancouver Canucks have played 43 games so far and they have climbed to the summit of the NHL’s proverbial mountain. As of this writing, they sit first in the NHL with 61 points and their 29 wins are the most they have had in January since their Stanley Cup run in 2011. Needless to say, there’s a lot to be excited about in Canucks Nation right now.
I don’t think even the boldest of prognosticators would have gambled on the fact that the Canucks would be leading the NHL at this point in the season. I wasn’t bold enough to do so when I made my predictions in the offseason. But I did make some other ones, so let’s revisit them now and see how right – or wrong – they are turning out to be.
1. Elias Pettersson & Andrei Kuzmenko Will Each Score 50 Goals
This one hasn’t aged very well. I might turn out to be half right when the season ends in April, though. Andrei Kuzmenko has fallen off a cliff offensively and might not even hit 20 goals, let alone 50. He is currently stuck on eight and hasn’t scored in seven games pushing his on-pace numbers to only 16. That’s a far cry from the 39 he put up last season. He has also spent significant time in head coach Rick Tocchet‘s dog house and has been in the press box five times already along with stints on the fourth line and second power play unit. Basically, he’s been a shell of his former self that lit up the scoreboard in 2022-23.
As for Kuzmenko’s former partner-in-crime, Elias Pettersson has been downright dominant this season with 22 goals and 57 points in 43 games. He also has a career-high eight game-winning goals and has fully established himself as one of the NHL’s premier two-way talents. As of right now, he is on pace for 42 goals, not 50, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t go on a heater at some point between now and the end of the season to make up the difference. In the end, I might be wrong on this prediction, but it’s not like I was totally off the mark – at least when it comes to Pettersson that is.
2. Canucks Will Have a Top-10 Power Play & Penalty Kill
As of this writing, I am trending towards being wrong with this one. Right now, the Canucks are ranked 12th on the power play with a 23.2 percent success rate, while the penalty kill is toiling in the bottom half of the league at 20th (78.7 percent). The PK isn’t as bad as it was last season when they were 32nd at 71.6 percent, but it still could use some work before the playoffs.
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The power play this season has been a strength overall, but it’s fallen on hard times lately clicking at only 13.7 percent (7/51) since the beginning of December. But it hasn’t contributed to any losses, though, as they have a 14-3-2 record in that span. Their dominance five on five has offset their struggles with the man advantage; they have a league-leading 59 even-strength goals since Dec. 1 and have not relied on their power play to get them victories. When the power play inevitably gets going again, the NHL better watch out.
3. Canucks Will Make the Playoffs As a Divisional Seed
In the offseason, this prediction seemed like the one that would definitely not come true. But here we are in January, and the Canucks are first in the Pacific Division, eight points up on the Vegas Golden Knights and 13 ahead of the Los Angeles Kings – two teams I said would finish ahead of Vancouver. While that could still happen, the Canucks have built up quite a cushion on their divisional rivals and are trending toward finishing lightyears ahead of a wild-card spot (currently occupied by the Nashville Predators – 49 points, and the Edmonton Oilers/Seattle Kraken – 47 points). While this prediction is far from solidified, the Canucks would have to go into a massive tailspin in their final 39 games to finish outside of the top three in the Pacific.
Surprising First Half, More To Come?
The Canucks’ first half of 2023-24 has gone off without a hitch. Not much has gone wrong for the club, and they are only 22 points (11 wins) away from matching their point total of 83 that they put up last season. I think it’s safe to say they will not only match that but blow past it very soon. If they’re lucky, they might be there shortly after the All-Star Break. All in all, there’s more excitement to come if you’re a Canucks fan. Buckle up, because the ride has only just begun.