NHL Power Rankings: Ducks soar, Maple Leafs in free fall

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 30: The shot of Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) deflects off the mask of Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the NHL preseason game between the Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, held on September 30, 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 09: Vancouver Canucks left wing Jussi Jokinen (36) and Minnesota Wild Center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) battle for the puck during their NHL game at Rogers Arena on March 9, 2018, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

29. Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks were a remarkable story to start the season, getting off to a hot start. Brock Boeser looked like a Calder Trophy candidate, and the young defense was playing well. Then the season slowly started to slip away from them and the Canucks slowly drifted down the standings. To make matters worse, Brock Boeser was badly injured and likely lost his chance at the Calder Trophy. The Canucks are a young team on the rise with a bright future. Finishing near the bottom of the league will be good as they continue to add to their prospect pipeline.

Last week Vancouver struggled, losing three of their four games. Two losses to Arizona and a loss to Minnesota cap off a bad week for Vancouver. They were able to the New York Islanders and gain two points in the standings.

Vancouver will be taking on some of the top teams in the Pacific division this upcoming week. They start with the Los Angeles Kings, then face the Anaheim Ducks and finish up with the San Jose Sharks. Beating these three good teams would be an invaluable experience for the young players on the team as they continue to grow for the future.

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