The Vancouver Canucks have been one of the biggest surprises of 2018-19 up to this point, with a 23-22-6 record and 52 points through their first 51 games.
Vancouver is tied with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in points, but those two teams hold down the wild card spots via the tiebreaker (less games played). The Canucks are in a very tight playoff race that also features the Anaheim Ducks (51 points), Arizona Coyotes (50 points), St. Louis Blues (49 points) and Edmonton Oilers (49 points).
General manager Jim Benning might feel the temptation to be an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline.