The Vancouver Canucks 2023-24 season has reached the 20-game mark, so it’s time for a review. Spoiler alert: it’s going pretty good.
Canucks 2023-24 Season Exceeding Expectations
We tend to be an optimistic bunch here, what with describing actual athletes doing things we couldn’t dream of pulling off. Even so, the best we could muster in our Puck Drop Preview for the Canucks was “probably a bubble team”.
We’re picking one of the two wildcard spots for Vancouver.
There weren’t a whole lot of other prognosticators going that far. And it’s understandable, too. Sure, the team looked better under Rick Tocchet. So did the previous year’s team under Bruce Boudreau late in the season.
Lots of moves were made – mostly on defence – but who knew if they were the right ones? And perhaps the biggest question was if Thatcher Demko could return to form, or if his weaker numbers were his new normal.
There are bets you take, and there are bets Thatcher Demko is on the other side of. Avoid confusing the two and you’ll be better off for it.
Canucks 2023-24 Season On Offence
Vancouver was a decently scoring team last season, finishing the year 13th in goals for with 270. That’s just 12 more than league average and was almost entirely driven by a few players. Elias Pettersson‘s 39 were delightful, but not too surprising; likewise J.T. Miller‘s 32.
The “surprise” scoring came from Bo Horvat suddenly hitting 31 in just 49 games and Andrei Kuzmenko‘s ludicrous 39 goals on 143 shots. Well, Kuzmenko’s 27.3% shooting has come back to Earth with a thud, and Horvat’s gone. And the result?
Vancouver, obviously, is leading the league in scoring. Obviously.
That extra offence is coming from a variety of different sources, rather than just a few. Brock Boeser has remembered just how good his shot is and sits among league leaders with 13 goals. Miller, centring his line, has the same while being the designated checker. Both players line up against the league’s best and still produce.
A 50-goal pace is not expected from either player, but Canucks fans will happily take it!
Ilya Mikheyev‘s return has been cautious – he’s averaging just over 14 minutes a night – but effective. His six goals and 10 points in 16 games sound modest, but none of those points are on the power play. Nils Höglander‘s six goals have him on pace for a career-high, too.
Those are all happy stories, but really the catalyst for a lot of the increased forward scoring is behind the bench. The systems Rick Tocchet has put in place have led to more control and better shot placement. That the forwards trust the defence to get them the puck helps, too.
Canucks 2023-24 Season on Defence
Quinn Hughes has made all the difference for Vancouver. He was told before the season started that he would be the next captain, and Hughes took that to heart. In every way Hughes could be leading, he is. Outspoken off the ice, unafraid of any question on any day.
On the ice, he’s been amazing. He vowed to be a better scorer, and after 20 games he’s currently tied his career high in goals. He leads the league in points with 31 – one higher than Miller, three more than Pettersson. And his phenomenal “hockey IQ” is never more visible than when he’s walking the blue line.
Beside Hughes is The Quiet Man himself, Filip Hronek. We joked that Hughes had possibly the quietest point-per-game season in the league, but Hronek may have him beat. Does anyone who isn’t a fan of the team know he’s at 19 points after 20 games?
The old adage of “one skilled & small, one big & rugged” defensive pairings has been tossed aside in Vancouver. While Hronek isn’t tiny at 6′ even and 190 pounds, he’s not one to hammer opponents to the ice. He can carry the puck well, and teams need to split their attention or suffer the wrath of Hughes.
As for the rest of the defence, it’s currently bruised but far more serviceable than expected. Bringing in Ian Cole and Carson Soucy has let Tyler Myers play where he should, on the third pair. There, Myers has been decent and productive, scoring twice with nine points in 20 games.
Canucks 2023-24 Season In Goal
Have we mentioned Thatcher Demko? Let’s go ahead and mention him again, backed up by the very capable Casey DeSmith.* Demko is 9-5-0 with a .923 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average with two shutouts. DeSmith is 4-1-1 with a .912 SV% and 2.89 goals against.
Now, the new systems have changed the shots Demko and DeSmith are facing for the better, but they still need to stop the pucks. While DeSmith’s numbers are right along his career average – perfectly decent for a backup – Demko’s are his career best.
Now, it helps when that career has been spent behind a porous Canucks defence. Just about any improvement in one looks good for the other. But Demko’s been stopping his high-danger chances, too, and almost 90% of them. That’s really, REALLY good.
There is a lot of confidence in either player right now, meaning Demko can actually get some rest. DeSmith is sound, and it shows in the team’s overall play.
In the Future
According to legend, American Thanksgiving is the dividing line for teams with playoff aspirations. Three-quarters of the teams in a playoff spot by then are still in one by the end of the regular season.
Basically, you can tell the good teams from the bad after about 20 games. Surprises still happen, of course, and the Canucks 2023-24 season still has a chance to go sideways.
They’re currently dealing with some injury trouble on the defence, and Pettersson is likely working through a mild injury of some kind. Add in a weak penalty kill (yes, still) and there could be trouble ahead.
One thing not to be scared of is the idea of “regression” somehow taking the Canucks out of the playoffs. Regression just means a return to the most likely results, not a counterbalancing plummet. With a nine-point cushion on the Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver is looking good.
Then again, the Canucks have stumbled a bit lately, losing three of their last four. MoneyPuck has them at an almost 1% chance to land the first overall pick.
With apologies to Macklin Celebrini, but thanks but no thanks. They’re aiming for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
*Briefly known as “Mister Saturday Night” when he played three in a row in October.
Main Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
