One Word Describing Each Canucks' Individual 2023-2024 Season

One word summarizing the 2023-2024 season of the players who took the ice for the Vancouver Canucks.

While the Vancouver Canucks certainly enjoyed some of the benefits of a good collaborative season, certain players reaped their own individual benefits. Here’s one word used to describe each individual Canucks' 2023-2024 season (minimum of five regular season games played).

0–0–0, 8 GP

Bains made his regular-season debut on February 20th against the Colorado Avalanche two years after enjoying a fruitful 112-point WHL season. Hailing from Surrey, B.C., the forward started on a line with Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger, eventually ending up playing with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller. He was named MVP of the AHL All-Star Game and will definitely push to crack Vancouver’s regular lineup in the coming season.

40–33–73, 81 GP regular season

7–5–12, 12 GP playoffs

Boeser is back. Not the injury that ended his rookie season early — no, Boeser is back and proving himself a changed player. Little needs to be said about the forward’s season, with this being the first time he has hit the 30-goal mark (later shattering that by scoring 40). His improved defensive play on a line with Miller has proved effective against some of the best lines in hockey. Boeser continued his stellar play into the postseason with seven goals in 12 games. It’s safe to say that Boeser is truly back.

20–27–47, 82 GP regular season

3–2–5, 13 GP playoffs

Garland has consistently stepped up when the team needs him the most. His timely goals have helped spark comebacks from the team or, in some cases, have even won them games. It’s not often that you’ll see Garland taking a shift off, and that high-powered engine of his has paid off in dividends.

18–14–32, 63 GP regular season

4–4–8, 13 GP playoffs

At the start of the 2023-2024 season, head coach Rick Tocchet lit a fire under Joshua by claiming he needed to “pick it up.” Since then, most often partnered with Garland and either Blueger or Elias Lindholm, Joshua picked up not only his play but also the amount that either the Canucks or another team will pay him in free agency.

6–6–12, 26 GP regular season

5–5–10, 13 GP playoffs

Long before he was acquired by the Canucks, Lindholm made his name through his solid two-way playstyle. His breakout in the postseason saw him play both sides of the ice remarkably, putting up excellent on-ice numbers and supporting the team defensively. His presence is valuable — but will the Canucks be able to afford it?

34–55–89, 82 GP regular season

1–5–6, 13 GP playoffs

This season marked two returns that Pettersson will make for the upcoming year. First, he returned to the Canucks with a brand-new eight-year contract valued at around $11.6 million a season. This came after speculation that he could be traded throughout the middle of the year. Second, he returned to his early-season form — a form that was hampered by tendinitis in his knee, marking a shift in his play from January to Game 7. Fans will await his return in the 2024-2025 season with bated breaths.

11–20–31, 78 GP regular season

0–0–0, 11 GP playoffs

This season was an unfortunate one for Ilya Mikheyev. Marked by a streak of zero goals in 34 straight games, things looked bleak for Mikheyev. Despite getting some chances, he couldn’t put the puck into the net. This drought continued into the playoffs, where he continued getting chances but was ultimately unable to score.

37–66–103, 81 GP regular season

3–9–12, 13 GP playoffs

“Flourishing” is a word that could be used to describe virtually every season that Miller has spent with the Canucks. Since arriving in Vancouver, Miller had proved doubters wrong again and again. However, this season is truly when fans began to rally behind him. His 103-point season, the first triple-digit point effort of his career, had fans chanting his name with every mention of it.

3–4–7, 43 GP

0–0–0, 5 GP playoffs

Nils Åman is not known for his offensive production — and he’s not supposed to be. The forward is trusted by Tocchet as a penalty-killer, having spent just over an hour killing penalties throughout the regular season. He killed seven-and-a-half minutes of penalty time in the playoffs.

24–12–36, 80 GP regular season

1–1–2, 11 GP playoffs

After a stint with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, Nils Höglander made his anticipated return to Vancouver’s lineup. He startled fans early on with the skills he learned under former Abbotsford Head Coach Jeremy Colliton, who placed a high priority on the positioning. The 24 goals he scored this season were all even-strength, further demonstrating the energetic forward’s improvements.

5–5–10, 51 GP regular season

1–1–2, 11 GP playoffs

Describing what is likely the most notable goal of Phil Di Giuseppe’s season, the “fatherly” forward emerged as an early mainstay in the Canucks’ lineup. There were other markers of his season, of course, but his tying goal in Game 5 definitely summarizes the hard work he has put in to achieve what he’s earned.

14–15–29, 67 GP regular season

2–1–3, 13 GP playoffs

Pius Suter strung together some surprising goal efforts throughout this season. At the start of November, he notched a goal per game for three straight games. He followed that up with a hat-trick performance against the St. Louis Blues on January 24th. Finding himself on a line with Boeser and Miller, Suter became instrumental in dismantling powerful offensive forces in the playoffs.

13–11–24, 79 GP regular season

0–0–0, 11 GP playoffs

Sam Lafferty was acquired by the Canucks early on in the season in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Throughout the season, he emerged as a solid depth contributor, putting up 24 points in 79 games played. He spent much of his time in the bottom six but occasionally ended up on a line with Pettersson.

6–22–28, 68 GP regular season

0–2–2, 13 GP playoffs

Regardless of who his linemates were this season, Blueger provided a responsible defensive presence. For most of the regular season, he took the draws for Garland and Joshua, with his line being heralded as a game-changer. His 28 points on the season match a career-high from his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

0–2–2, 19 GP regular season

0–0–0, 2 GP playoffs

 The 2023-2024 season was to Vasily Podkolzin what the 2022-2023 was to Höglander. That is, the past season was Podkolzin’s year for development. Podkolzin spent 44 games with the Abbotsford Canucks, and was brought back up to Vancouver on March 3rd. Notable improvements in his game came from his positioning as well as his willingness to throw his body around. It’s only a matter of time before Podkolzin makes his permanent return to Vancouver’s lineup.

2–4–6, 40 GP regular season

1–4–5, 12 GP playoffs

Carson Soucy signed with the Canucks in the offseason of 2023, having left the Seattle Kraken after their second-round exit from the playoffs. He, along with other additions to the blue line, was expected to alleviate some of the pressure faced by Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers. Despite missing half of the season due to injuries, whenever he was on the ice, Soucy proved himself to be a reliable defenceman who isn’t often noticed (in a good way).

5–43–48, 81 GP regular season

1–1–2, 13 GP playoffs

When GM Patrik Allvin first made the move to acquire Filip Hronek, Canucks fans were confused. Many assumed that the team would be entering rebuild mode, as the team had just traded Bo Horvat. However, Hronek emerged in the season as an unexpected gift — his steady play with Hughes allowed the latter to thrive. Both defencemen benefitted from their partnership, with Hronek tallying a career-high 48 points alongside Hughes.

2–9–11, 78 GP regular season

0–2–2, 13 GP playoffs

Many have chastised Ian Cole’s play since the Canucks’ second-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. However, Cole’s regular season play, as well as his performance in the first round, were as stable as they could be for the third-pairing defenceman. He led the team in blocked shots this season with 166, with the second (Myers) blocking 30 less than him.

0–1–1, 23 GP regular season

Friedman was acquired alongside forward Ty Glover in exchange for former Canuck-hopeful Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek. While he didn’t crack the lineup for any playoff games, he provided the Canucks with simple, uncomplicated depth during the regular season.

5–9–14, 54 GP regular season

4–4–8, 13 GP playoffs

It’s hard to compare the Canucks’ acquisitions this season, but Nikita Zadorov would definitely hover at the top of that list. During the regular season as well as playoffs, Zadorov provided a staunch presence on the blue line, packing powerful punches and levelling opponents with a big hit. There’s only one word that can explain the impact he had on both the Canucks, their opponents, and possibly the Canucks’ cap hit — and that word is boom!

1–6–7, 54 GP regular season

0–0–0, 2 GP playoffs

As flashy as Zadorov’s hits were this season, no defender had more per game played than local boy Noah Juulsen. Considering the fact that he only played 54 games compared to other defencemen on the team, that’s a lot. Juulsen’s physical presence on the blueline was a big indicator of how effective he was this season.

17–75–92, 82 GP regular season

0–10–10, 13 GP playoffs

In a season that could have gone either way based on the previous one’s outcome, no one surpassed expectations more than Hughes. The 24-year-old newly-crowned captain smashed personal and organizational records (which he’s been doing every season, just not as a new captain) with 92 points throughout the season. He finished the regular season first in points by a defenceman and hopes to win his first James Norris Memorial Trophy.

5–24–29, 77 GP regular season

0–1–1, 12 GP playoffs

Myers has been a polarizing figure throughout his time with the Vancouver Canucks. Having spent the better half of his time in blue-and-green as a minute-heavy defender, the 2023-2024 season saw Myers’ ice time decline by nearly two minutes. With more responsibilities shared throughout the Canucks’ new D-core, Myers enjoyed a less-stressful season enriched with better defensive play.

.881 SV%, 2.47 GAA, 3–0–1 regular season

.898 SV%, 2.91 GAA, 5–5 playoffs

 Artūrs Šilovs’ 2023-2024 season was expected to be short, resulting in another postseason as Abbotsford’s starter in their quest for the Calder Cup. However, with injury issues in the crease during playoffs, the Canucks were forced to start him. His general numbers don’t indicate the fact that he came into the postseason cold and proceeded to help his team reach Game 7 of the second round. Most admirably marked by a 1–0 shutout to send his team to the second round, Šilovs more than proved himself as worthy of a role with the big club next season.

.896 SV%, 2.89 GAA, 12–9–6 regular season

.911 SV%, 2.02 GAA, 1–1 playoffs

Casey DeSmith was a pretty DePendable backup for the Canucks this year, taking over the crease in March when Thatcher Demko was sidelined with an injury. While he did have some rough points throughout the season, his starting time was made notable when he posted a 1.67 GAA in the week of March 18th.

.918 SV%, 2.45 GAA, 35–14–2 regular season

.917 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 1–0 playoffs

The 2023-2024 season was another typical Thatcher Demko year made up of absurd saves, a save percentage above .91, and a few performances in which he had to throw the team on his back and carry them to victory. This time, however, the rest of the league (General Managers) have given Demko his flowers by nominating him for the Vezina Trophy. His five shutouts, 2.45 GAA, and .918 SV% are all personal records for the Canucks’ starting goalie.

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