The Canucks and Maple Leafs find themselves in similar places in the standings at the moment. Both teams are a few spots down the ladder from a top-two wildcard spot but, thanks to weaker divisions, are only two points back from a top-three divisional spot. It sounds bizarre to call the Atlantic Division “weak” based on how competitive it has been the last couple of seasons, but that’s the reality of the situation approaching the halfway mark of the 2019-20 campaign.
One of the most exciting things for Canucks fans last year was not only Elias Pettersson’s immediate scoring dominance in the NHL, but his chemistry and comfort level with fellow young star Brock Boeser.