The Vancouver Canucks made some strides in 2017-18, but they still finished sixth-last in the NHL, and only ahead of the Arizona Coyotes in the Western Conference.
But the team finally gave more responsibilities to the younger players, and the results showed. Brock Boeser is a Calder Trophy candidate after scoring 29 goals and 55 points in 62 games. Bo Horvat showed he’s ready to be the leader of this team in the post-Sedins era, while Jake Virtanen looked like a player who’s ready for a breakout next season.
If my bold predictions (written before the season), are an indication of anything, the Canucks didn’t surprise us all that much in 2017-18.