The Vancouver Canucks' journey through NHL history has been a rollercoaster, with plenty of ups and downs. This season, they're facing a unique challenge: they’re one of only three teams in the league without a 20-goal scorer, alongside the St.
Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. To put that in perspective, Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 44 goals-just one less than the combined total of the Canucks’ top three scorers, Brock Boeser, Drew O’Connor, and Jake DeBrusk.
Historically, the Canucks have only once finished a season without a 20-goal scorer, back in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The lowest in a full season was 2016-17, when Bo Horvat led with exactly 20 goals, during a year that saw the team hit a franchise low in goals scored. That season started with a questionable trade and ended with the realization that a rebuild was necessary-a situation not too dissimilar from today.
Currently, the Canucks are averaging 2.52 goals per game, ranking second-last in the NHL. They've also traded away some firepower, as Kiefer Sherwood, who was moved two months ago, would still be leading the team with his 17 goals. Sherwood has since hit the 20-goal mark with the San Jose Sharks.
With 16 games remaining, four Canucks have a shot at reaching 20 goals. Brock Boeser leads the charge with 16 goals, needing just four more to hit the mark for the seventh time in nine seasons. His recent form and chemistry with Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren make him a solid candidate, despite an earlier 21-game goal drought.
Drew O’Connor follows with 15 goals and has been promoted to the top line. However, his partnership with Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane has yet to spark the desired chemistry. O’Connor is close to matching his career high of 16 goals, but reaching 20 will require a strong finish.
Jake DeBrusk, with 14 goals, is a bit of a wild card. Known for his streaky scoring, DeBrusk could potentially hit a hot streak and close the gap, but he’s scored just once in his last 14 games.
Elias Pettersson, surprisingly still fourth in team scoring, hasn’t found the net since January 13, stretching his goal drought to 20 games. With 13 goals this season, reaching 20 seems unlikely unless he breaks out of his slump in a big way.
If the Canucks finish without a 20-goal scorer, it would be a rare occurrence, echoing the 2008-09 New York Islanders, who ended up with the first-overall pick and drafted John Tavares. The Canucks can only hope for a similar stroke of luck in the draft to turn their fortunes around.