Just confirmed the traded deal: as per ESPN reporter 7 minutes ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach has officially confirmed and announced the departure of fans favorite center to the Vancouver Canucks. In his speech, it is confirmed that the franchise center turned down the Florida Panthers $35 million deal to ink a three-year, $28.5 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks due to…

Canucks lines vs Golden Knights, December 19, 2024
The Vancouver Canucks could use some scoring from their stars against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

The Vancouver Canucks have a scoring problem.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the Canucks are at the bottom of the NHL in goals or anything. They’re currently 12th in the league with 3.16 goals per game, which is slightly above average.

What’s troubling is that their stars aren’t scoring.

Elias Pettersson has been more of a playmaker than a sniper this season but he has no points in his last four games and just 1 goal in his past 10 games.

J.T. Miller has just 2 goals in his last 14 games, though he’s picked up a few assists since his return to the lineup.

Brock Boeser is pointless in his last three games and has just 2 goals in his last 13 games.

Conor Garland, who has become a key player for the Canucks this season, has no goals in his last 9 games.

Even Jake DeBrusk, who was red hot for a stretch that saw him score 11 goals in 10 games, has no points in his last 3 games. As cold streaks go, that’s a minor one compared to the Canucks’ other star forwards.

Then there’s Nils Höglander, who many hoped would take a step forward to becoming a bonafide top-six forward after 24 goals last season. He has just 2 goals and 5 points through 31 games and has no goals in his last 26 games and no assists in his last 21 games.

Fortunately for the Canucks, other players have been able to chip in some goals, like Kiefer Sherwood’s hat trick to beat the Colorado Avalanche. But depending on your secondary scoring to carry the team is a losing proposition.

Sherwood and Pius Suter are currently tied for second in goals on the Canucks behind DeBrusk, with more goals than Boeser, Pettersson, Miller, and Garland. If the Canucks want to have sustained success this season, that’s got to change.

Will it change against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night? That’s a tough proposition in the second half of back-to-back games, particularly after going to overtime against the Utah Hockey Club.