The month of December was not kind to the Vancouver Canucks and their fans. From a rumoured rift in the locker room to injuries to key players to more losses on home ice, fun was not a word you could use to describe what went on during the final month of 2024. Frustrating and disappointing would be more accurate descriptors. All in all, they finished with a 5-4-5 record and closed the year dropping five of their last six, including a heartbreaker in overtime to the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 28, a game in which they had a 4-1 lead in the final five minutes, and a 3-1 decision to the Calgary Flames on New Year’s Eve, two losses where they didn’t have Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson in the lineup.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Canucks’ 3-1 Loss to the Flames
But enough of the negativity, let’s focus on some positive stuff, shall we? I am talking about the three stars of the month. Let’s dive in.
Third Star: Kiefer Sherwood
Kiefer Sherwood continued to build on his fan favourite status in Vancouver, notching six goals and seven points in December. He is now up to 12 goals in 36 games – two more than he had in 68 with the Nashville Predators last season. Of course, as most Canucks fans know, he also leads the league in hits with a whopping 208 and just hit an even 700 in his career after another three against the Flames on Tuesday.
Sherwood’s highlight of the month came on Dec. 16 against one of his former teams, the Colorado Avalanche, when he recorded his first career hat trick. He was definitely feeling it in that game, putting up three goals, seven shots and a shorthanded marker in the second period when he knocked down a pass from Nathan MacKinnon and blew by Cale Makar en route to blasting a wrist shot by Mackenzie Blackwood. If we were giving the award to best-value free agent signing right now, Sherwood would win it by a landslide.
Second Star: Brock Boeser
Brock Boeser entered the three-star conversation only in the past couple of weeks. One of the only forwards producing at a good rate right now, the Brockstar scored eight goals in December and is currently on a four-game goal streak with six coming in that span. He is absolutely on fire and his re-emergence couldn’t have come at a better time with both Pettersson and Hughes out of the lineup.
With his 193rd career goal on Tuesday versus the Flames, Boeser tied Alex Burrows for tenth on the all-time goal list and will probably sit alone in eighth by the end of the season. Bo Horvat and his 201 goals are definitely in reach – heck if he stays at the pace he’s on, he will be there by the end of January.
First Star: Quinn Hughes
Currently week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, the captain still goes home with the first star of December after matching his 17 points from November when he was runner-up to Conor Garland. Despite not playing the final two games of the year, he still led the way with three goals and 17 points in 12 games, and increased his season total to a team-leading 42 points. He also passed Alex Edler on Dec. 1 against the Detroit Red Wings and became the franchise’s leading assist man amongst defencemen.
Barring this injury keeping him out long term, Hughes should get close to the century mark in points and will be a leading contender to walk away with his second Norris Trophy, and possibly be in the conversation for the Hart as well.
Even if Hughes doesn’t win the trophy given to the MVP of the NHL, he is far and away the MVP of the Canucks. Without him, they are mediocre, at best, especially on the blue line. I think that’s the definition of an MVP, right? Take him out of the lineup, what does the team look like? In a word, bad. Hopefully, he’s back soon, because he might be the lifeblood of this franchise right now. And I think Canucks Nation will agree that’s not an overeggaeration.
More Stars Will Need to Emerge in January
The Canucks will need their first star back as soon as possible if they hope to make it back into the mix of the playoffs. As of right now, they sit on the outside looking in, one point back of the Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Last season at this time, they were up near the top of the NHL. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Hopefully, these three stars of December can continue their run of good performances in 2025 and, coupled with more luck health-wise, help transform the Canucks back into the team they were last January – an elite squad headed for the playoffs.
