Future Canucks captain sees reason for optimism in elite core of young players
“It’s good to get you hungry because you want to make the playoffs so bad and be in those games and those situations,” the Vancouver Canucks centre said Monday of missing the post-season for the fourth-straight season. “But it’s going to hurt to watch.”
“Improving is the next step,” cautioned Canucks coach Travis Green. “Is that making the playoffs? We’ll have a clearer picture of that next season. You look at teams that win and the age of their players, how many have their best as a 21 or 20-year-old? “You do see older guys winning in the playoffs and we do have a lot of young guys, but I don’t feel young,” he said. “I’ve been in the league and feel like an older guy. Our young guys have really matured with a mature style of play and can handle the long runs and playoffs.Pettersson, 20, led the club in scoring with a rookie franchise record 66 points , Boeser, 22, and Horvat, 24, hit career highs and Hughes, 19, already looks like the answer to unleash power-play potential.
Horvat also played with a dozen different wingers, three dozen different line combinations and found late-season chemistry with Pearson. Management has vowed to get Horvat right-wing help via free agent and through it all, he never complained.
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