Five years after drafting him with the No. 6 selection, the Vancouver Canucks are still waiting for Jake Virtanen to reach his full potential and grow into a reliable top six forward and consistent 20-goal scorer.
Virtanen showed signs of breaking out during the 2018-19 season, posting career bests in goals (15) and points (25) in 70 games. Had he played all 82 contests, perhaps Virtanen would have hit 20 goals once and for all.
The Canucks signed gritty forward Micheal Ferland to a four-year worth $14 million last week, and you can’t help but wonder if the team might be ready to move on from Virtanen in the near future.