After missing the playoffs once again, the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks season is shaping up to be one of the most important in the last decade. Not only are expectations that the team will make the playoffs, but multiple players need to step up and show that they can contribute to this team in the future. There will also be plenty to celebrate as plenty of players are set to achieve individual milestones throughout the year. With that in mind, here is a look at five potential player milestones for the 2023-24 season.
Elias Pettersson & Brock Boeser Race to 150 Goals
One milestone race to watch early in the season is who hits 150 career goals first, Elias Pettersson or Brock Boeser. Whichever player hits the number first will also become just the tenth player in franchise history who was drafted by Vancouver to score 150. With both needing less than 15 goals to hit the mark, it shouldn’t be long before they each get to celebrate their career milestone.
While Boeser may have the lead at 139, the favourite has to be Pettersson, who currently sits at 136. The Swedish center has surpassed the 30-goal total in each of the last two seasons, while the American winger enters the year looking for his first 25-plus goal season since 2018-19. Regardless of which player gets to 150 first, it is an accomplishment worth celebrating, especially considering only 15 others have surpassed that total during their Canucks career.
J.T. Miller Hits 600 Points
Heading into the season, no player on the Canucks roster has more points during their NHL career than J.T. Miller. The American forward has accumulated 536 points over a 718-game career with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Canucks and is just 64 points away from the 600-point mark. Judging by his last two seasons with the Canucks, there is little doubt that he will hit the milestone as he has surpassed the 80-point mark each year.
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On top of the 600-point mark, Miller is just one point off the 300-point mark for his career in Vancouver. Currently ranked 29th in franchise history, he would move all the way up to 19th on the list once he hits the 600-point milestone. A player who is going to face a ton of pressure heading into the season, the hope is he can build off his 82-point season from 2022-23 and once again eclipse the 90-point mark as he did in 2021-22.
Thatcher Demko Records Win Number 100
For the Canucks to be successful, not only will they need Thatcher Demko to stay healthy, they will need him to play at a Veznia level all season. If he does, not only will he be in the awards conversation, but he will become just the fourth player to record 100 wins in Vancouver’s history. Sitting just 19 wins away from the milestone, this should be no problem as he is expected to take on the bulk of the starts during the 2023-24 campaign.
If everything goes to play, Demko should finish the season fourth all-time in Canucks history, surpassing Dan Cloutier’s 109-win total. Surpassing the 100-win mark would also move him up into the top 25 in wins by an American goaltender in NHL history. There should be plenty to celebrate this year for Vancouver’s number-one goalie as he looks to backstop the Canucks back into the playoffs.
Quinn Hughes Continues To Rocket Up All-Time Lists
After a franchise record-setting performance by Quinn Hughes in 2022-23, Canucks Nation should be excited for what he has in store for 2023-24. The American defenceman not only set a new career high with 76 points but also had the fourth most assists in a season by any player with 69. One of the best defencemen in the NHL, he could rank in the top five in multiple categories in franchise history by the end of the season.
The two categories to watch will be points and assists by a defenceman. Starting with assists, he currently sits sixth with 215. If he can replicate the 69 he produced last season, that would move him all the way up to third place behind Dennis Kearns and Alexander Edler. As for points, his 241 currently sits at seventh, but with a replicated season, he could jump up to fifth and would sit less than ten points from second place. Regardless of where he ends up on the all-time list, it is safe to say that he should become the Canucks’ all-time leader in assists and points in the next few seasons.
A Make Or Break Year For Vancouver
As mentioned, the 2023-24 season will be crucial for Vancouver. If they miss the playoffs again, major changes on both the management and player side could be coming, as that would mean no postseason in eight of the last nine seasons. While the regular season milestones are nice, it is time some of these players start climbing the career postseason list in franchise history.
