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The NHL is still in its early stages, as most teams have played between 12 and 14 games. That means teams still have about 6 to 8 games before reaching the 25 percent mark of their season's schedule. However, the season is past its infancy and is beginning to take form. There has been no team that has been more surprising in its overall performance than the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks are second in the Pacific Division to the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights (11-2-1). Vancouver has built a 10-2-1 record through its first 13 games. A team that has been to the playoffs just once since the start of the 2015-16 season is on the verge of becoming elite.
Not only are the Canucks second in the Pacific Division, they are second in the Western Conference. The only team in the Eastern Conference with a better record than the upstart Canucks is the Boston Bruins (11-1-1). The New York Rangers have the same 10-2-1 record the Canucks own.
Head coach Rick Tocchet has built a high-scoring team that also excels at keeping the puck out of the net. The Canucks have scored a league-best 59 goals and have given up just 26. Their plus-33 goal differential is the best in the league.
At the start of the season, the Edmonton Oilers were expected to be a Stanley Cup winner in many preseason publications, while the Canucks were likely to battle for one of the final Western Conference playoff spots.
Those expectations could not have been more wrong as the surprising Canucks are clearly a dominant team at his point. The highly touted Oilers? They have a 2-9-1 record and they are tied with the San Jose Sharks for the least amount of points in the league with 5.
The Canucks have beaten the Oilers in all 3 of their games this season.
Thatcher Demko has been sensational in net
Demko is considered one of the better goaltenders in the league, but it's one thing to have such a ranking for a mediocre team and it's quite another to carry that standard for an elite one.
The pressure is on Demko every night that he is in net, and that's most nights. Demko has a 7-2-0 record with a 1.61 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. He has faced 284 shots to this point in the season and he has allowed just 14 goals.
Demko has allowed 13 goals fewer than expected. The Canucks have played sensational hockey, and that includes their brilliant goalie.
Backup goalie Casey DeSmith has ben adequate with a 3-0-1 record, a 2.82 GAA and a .919 save percentage. DeSmith has faced 147 shots and given up 12 goals.
It's no surprise that Demko has been good. It is quite surprising that he has been this brilliant.
Quinn Hughes has become an elite defenseman
The Hughes family is quickly becoming the first family of the NHL. New Jersey center Jack Hughes has a chance to win the league's scoring title and supplant Conner McDavid as the league's Hart Trophy winner that goes to the Most Valuable Player.
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Luke Hughes is a 20-year-old defenseman on the Devils.
Quinn Hughes is also elite at his position, and he is clearly one of the best defensemen in the league. Hughes looked small in appearance at 5-10 and 180 pounds, but he is a brilliant skater and one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.
Hughes has been that kind of dynamic offensive performer in each of his previous 4 seasons with the Canucks, as he had 68 and 76 points the last 2 seasons, respectively.
He appears to be taking it to another level this season as Hughes has 5 goals and 16 assists. He is averaging 1.62 points per game. If he can keep up this level and play 80 games this season, he will reach the 129-point mark this season.
That's a level of brilliance that will be difficult to maintain, but it is clear that the Hughes' production has been a surprise.
Defenseman Mark Friedman could improve his game
The Canucks have exceeded expectations in a huge way through the early part of the season and multiple players have exceeded expectations.
However, Friedman has struggled this year. He has just 1 assist in 10 games.
Tocchet has spent extra time working with Friedman, talking to him about his positioning on the blue line and other aspects of his game.
Friedman is not an elite defenseman for the Canucks, and while his performance has been disappointing, he has the time to turn things around.
