The Vancouver Canucks seemingly turned a corner last season, as they won the Pacific Division and pushed the Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now, though, it looks like that season was merely a mirage.
The Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention following the Minnesota Wild's 8-7 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. With their elimination, the Canucks have now made the playoffs just twice in the past 10 seasons.
As Vancouver found out firsthand, it's difficult to play winning hockey when so much drama is unfolding behind the scenes. The long-rumored feud between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson reached a point of no return, ultimately leading to the Canucks trading Miller to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31. They were only one point out of a playoff spot at the time of the trade, but they've been treading water since then while other teams around them improve.
Even after the trade, Pettersson doesn't look like the player he once was. The 26-year-old Swede has just 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games this season, and is most likely done for the year as he hasn't played since suffering an upper-body injury against the Rangers on March 22.
Petterson's drop-off since his 102-point season in 2022-23 has been jarring to watch, and even if he's dealing with injuries or mental struggles, the Canucks better hope he can turn it around soon. With an $11.6 million cap hit until 2032, his contract is virtually untradeable.
Add in the fact that star goaltender Thatcher Demko has only played 23 games due to injury, and this Canucks' season was basically doomed from the start.
The good news is that Vancouver still has one of the best defensemen in the league in Quinn Hughes. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been by far the Canucks' best player this season with 74 points (16 goals 58 assists) in 64 games, and he could be in the Vezina race again if his team was closer to the playoffs.
Aside from that, the Canucks hope that some time off will help them get back on track. They still have a ton of talent on the roster, so if their top players - Pettersson and Demko especially - rebound next year, they could be back to competing for a postseason berth
