The Vancouver Canucks have vastly exceeded expectations this season.
Heading to the season, the vast majority of pundits and analytical models predicted the Canucks would miss the playoffs. Even the ones that predicted a playoff future for the Canucks thought it would be by the slimmest of margins, right on the playoff bubble. Instead, nearly halfway through the season, the Canucks are first in the Western Conference and just a point out of first in the NHL.
There are a number of reasons for this success — improved systems, better defensive depth, and contributions from the bottom-six, to name a few — but a big reason has been the performance of the team's star players. The Canucks have four players scoring at a better-than-point-per-game pace and one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, all leading the way for the Canucks to reach the top of the West.
Meanwhile, the NHL All-Star Game is just one month away and the NHL will be announcing the initial rosters on Thursday: 32 players, one from each team. After that, just 12 more players will be named as voted by the fans. With the mandate to include one player from every NHL team, several legitimate stars will be left out.
That means the Canucks are guaranteed just one representative at All-Star Weekend. Any additional Canucks will have to be voted in. With five players deserving of the All-Star nod — not to mention Filip Hronek, who is in the top ten among defencemen in scoring — some Canucks are going to get snubbed.
So, who's deserving of going to the All-Star Game and who might get left out? Let's run down the candidates.
J.T. Miller
With 50 points in 37 games, J.T. Miller leads the Canucks in scoring. He's currently seventh in the NHL in points, sixth in assists, and first in the NHL in primary assists, all while playing in a match-up role against the top forward lines on the Canucks' opponents.
You can throw some other statistics in the mix too. Miller has a 54.3% success rate on faceoffs, which leads the Canucks. He's 22nd among NHL forwards in hits with 80. He leads all Canucks forwards in shot blocks with 31, good for 31st among NHL forwards. He's having an outstanding season almost any way you look at it.
Miller has also never been to an All-Star Game. Since he joined the Canucks in 2019, Miller is ninth in the NHL in total points with 349 points in 320 games, but he's never represented the Canucks as an All-Star.
It's time that wrong was remedied. But the odds of Miller being named to the initial 32-player All-Star roster are slim because of...
Quinn Hughes
The Canucks' captain has been incredible during the first half of the season. With 10 goals and 36 assists, he leads all NHL defencemen in goals, assists, and points, not to mention plus/minus, for those who care about that antiquated statistic. He leads the Canucks in average ice time, with 24:30 per night, while playing in every situation.
With respect to the rest of the roster, Quinn Hughes is the Canucks' most important player and has elevated his game to another level this season. He deserves to play in the second All-Star Game of his career.
Hughes is almost certain to be the NHL's choice among the 32 initial players named to the All-Star Game. How could they possibly leave off the leading scorer among defencemen? Then again, how can they leave off...
Brock Boeser
In his rookie season, Brock Boeser looked like he would be the league's next great sniper. Six seasons later, he's back at that level again. With 24 goals in 37 games, Boeser is third in the NHL in goalscoring, as he's finding new ways to create space for himself and put the puck in the net.
Boeser is having a renaissance while playing largely in a match-up role on Miller's wing, forcing him to shoulder a heavier defensive burden than at any previous point in his career.
That's ample justification for sending Boeser to his second-ever All-Star Game, giving him a chance at a second All-Star MVP nod. Boeser would have to be voted in, as he's unlikely to be named ahead of Hughes, but would the fans vote in Boeser ahead of...
Thatcher Demko
As good as backup goaltender Casey DeSmith has been, the Canucks wouldn't be at the top of the Western Conference without Thatcher Demko. He's won 18 of his 26 starts, has posted three shutouts, and has a .917 save percentage — the highest of his career.
Demko is currently third in the NHL in quality starts behind only Connor Hellebuyck and Cam Talbot. As much as he's gotten a lot of goal support from his teammates, it's Demko who consistently gives his team a chance to win.
According to the oddsmakers, Demko is the favourite to win the Vezina Trophy this season as the NHL's best goaltender and how can the NHL keep the best goaltender out of the All-Star Game, potentially the second of his career?
But what about...
Elias Pettersson
With 15 goals and 45 points in 37 games, Elias Pettersson may be third on the Canucks in scoring behind Miller and Hughes, but that still lands him in the top ten in the NHL.
There's no denying that Pettersson is a key to the Canucks' success, as his diligent effort on both sides of the puck makes him the team's top two-way forward. Playing against top lines nearly as much as the Miller line, Pettersson has been the better defensive player, despite frequently playing with one of the team's most defensively suspect players, Andrei Kuzmenko.
Pettersson is on pace for 33 goals and 99 points and is arguably the most likely to be left out of the All-Star Game of these five players. It's wild.
But maybe it's for the best. Of these five, Pettersson has been at the most All-Star Games. While the others have appeared in one All-Star Game or none, Pettersson has been at three All-Star Games already in his career. Maybe it's best if other Canucks get the opportunity.
It's just a shame that Pettersson seems likely to miss the event just as they introduce a multiple-event Skills Competition that he would surely excel at. His skillset is practically perfect for this pseudo-decathlon of skills events, as he's already won the Hardest Shot competition, can hammer a one-timer, has a laser-accurate wristshot, is a deft puckhandler and an elite playmaker, and has surprising speed.
But maybe it's best for the Canucks if Pettersson gets snubbed and lets it fuel his back half of the season. They'll need him at the top of his game as they push for not just the playoffs but the top of the Pacific Division and Western Conference.
