<p>Ahead of Saturday&#8217;s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, we&#8217;re getting some insight from our friends at CanucksArmy!</p>
<p>CanucksArmy managing editor <a href="https://x.com/QuadrelliD">David Quadrelli</a> answered five key questions about the Canucks heading into Saturday&#8217;s matchup via email. We traded some answers, and we&#8217;re grateful for their insight into the Canucks, as the Leafs look to shake off an ugly 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and get back on the winning path.</p>
<h3>1. What&#8217;s been the biggest story of the Canucks&#8217; season so far?</h3>
<p>If you&#8217;re paying attention to the national media, the answer is likely the rift between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. The fact that the team is testing the market for both players tells you this has gone on for too long. Hearing Hughes and Rick Tocchet address it head-on was a bit surprising, but welcome as well. I&#8217;ve felt that this is going to be something that gets dealt in the offseason, but at this point, I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised to see either player moved.</p>
<p>All that being said, the biggest story of the Canucks&#8217; season should be the fact that Quinn Hughes has played absolutely out of his mind. He&#8217;s putting up even better numbers than he did in his Norris Trophy-winning campaign a year ago, and his impact has been the main reason this team finds itself in a playoff spot.</p>
<h3>2. What’s the deal with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller? Do you think the ongoing feud will come to a resolution by the trade deadline?</h3>
<p>This feud dates back years. I first heard about it in 2022, but hearing about it behind the scenes and from sources is obviously very different from the team captain and head coach addressing it. Quite frankly, I think the &#8220;feud&#8221; should be dealt with however Quinn Hughes sees fit. He&#8217;s the captain of this team and has the respect of not only both players, but everyone on that team and in this market. He&#8217;s said &#8212; at least publicly &#8212; that the situation is workable, and I&#8217;m not going to sit here and disagree with him. The best outcome for the Canucks is that both players figure it out, perform up to the standards expected of them, and that this can finally be put in the rearview mirror.</p>
<h3>3. Does Quinn Hughes have a legitimate shot at the Hart Trophy?</h3>
<p>Well, I&#8217;ve voted on the Hart Trophy the past few years, and in 2023-24, I had Hughes fifth on my Hart ballot (don&#8217;t worry Leafs fans, I had Auston Matthews in my top three). The reason for Hughes landing on my ballot is the definition of the award is to go to the player deemed &#8220;most valuable to his team&#8221;. Last year, Hughes was very important to the Canucks&#8217; success, but this year, he&#8217;s become even more important, given how bad the Canucks&#8217; other defencemen and star players have been. The Canucks&#8217; numbers with and without Hughes on the ice this season are downright staggering, and thanks to some shoddy roster construction on the backend, Hughes has proved even more valuable to the Canucks than he was last season.</p>
<p>If the Canucks make the playoffs, it will be all because of Hughes. If he leads the Canucks in scoring when all is said and done, it will be hard to make a case that there are many more players more valuable to their team than Hughes is to the Canucks.</p>
<h3>4. How has Jake DeBrusk fit in and what do we need to know about Kevin Lankinen?</h3>
<p>Jake DeBrusk, a historically streaky scorer, has been a bit streaky to start his Canucks career. That being said, DeBrusk had one of the best stretches of his career to close out November and into the start December. He&#8217;s been a solid fit for the Canucks, and as he gets more comfortable, there&#8217;s reason to believe he&#8217;ll continue to find some more consistency in his game.</p>
<p>As for Kevin Lankinen, he&#8217;s the immediate second place behind Hughes for Canucks season MVP. There were so many games early in the season while Thatcher Demko was recovering from his knee injury where Lankinen absolutely stole a victory for the Canucks. He&#8217;s been found money, and this would be a lottery team right now without him, full stop. That&#8217;s not an exaggeration either. Arturs Silovs has been that bad.</p>
<h3>5. Who are some of the lesser talked about Canucks that Leafs fans should be on the lookout for on Saturday?</h3>
<p>Conor Garland has been the Canucks&#8217; best forward this season, and Kiefer Sherwood is on pace to break the NHL hits record by a wide margin. Those two are probably the biggest impact players the Canucks have outside of their more talked about players.</p>
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<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
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<p><a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?resize=727%2C404&#038;ssl=1" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?w=727&amp;ssl=1 727w, https://i0.wp.com/publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a></p>
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<p>Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!</p>
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Ahead of Saturday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, we're getting some insight from our friends at CanucksArmy!

CanucksArmy managing editor <a href="https://x.com/QuadrelliD">David Quadrelli</a> answered five key questions about the Canucks heading into Saturday's matchup via email. We traded some answers, and we're grateful for their insight into the Canucks, as the Leafs look to shake off an ugly 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and get back on the winning path.
<h3>1. What's been the biggest story of the Canucks' season so far?</h3>
If you're paying attention to the national media, the answer is likely the rift between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. The fact that the team is testing the market for both players tells you this has gone on for too long. Hearing Hughes and Rick Tocchet address it head-on was a bit surprising, but welcome as well. I've felt that this is going to be something that gets dealt in the offseason, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see either player moved.

All that being said, the biggest story of the Canucks' season should be the fact that Quinn Hughes has played absolutely out of his mind. He's putting up even better numbers than he did in his Norris Trophy-winning campaign a year ago, and his impact has been the main reason this team finds itself in a playoff spot.
<h3>2. What’s the deal with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller? Do you think the ongoing feud will come to a resolution by the trade deadline?</h3>
This feud dates back years. I first heard about it in 2022, but hearing about it behind the scenes and from sources is obviously very different from the team captain and head coach addressing it. Quite frankly, I think the "feud" should be dealt with however Quinn Hughes sees fit. He's the captain of this team and has the respect of not only both players, but everyone on that team and in this market. He's said -- at least publicly -- that the situation is workable, and I'm not going to sit here and disagree with him. The best outcome for the Canucks is that both players figure it out, perform up to the standards expected of them, and that this can finally be put in the rearview mirror.
<h3>3. Does Quinn Hughes have a legitimate shot at the Hart Trophy?</h3>
Well, I've voted on the Hart Trophy the past few years, and in 2023-24, I had Hughes fifth on my Hart ballot (don't worry Leafs fans, I had Auston Matthews in my top three). The reason for Hughes landing on my ballot is the definition of the award is to go to the player deemed "most valuable to his team". Last year, Hughes was very important to the Canucks' success, but this year, he's become even more important, given how bad the Canucks' other defencemen and star players have been. The Canucks' numbers with and without Hughes on the ice this season are downright staggering, and thanks to some shoddy roster construction on the backend, Hughes has proved even more valuable to the Canucks than he was last season.

If the Canucks make the playoffs, it will be all because of Hughes. If he leads the Canucks in scoring when all is said and done, it will be hard to make a case that there are many more players more valuable to their team than Hughes is to the Canucks.
<h3>4. How has Jake DeBrusk fit in and what do we need to know about Kevin Lankinen?</h3>
Jake DeBrusk, a historically streaky scorer, has been a bit streaky to start his Canucks career. That being said, DeBrusk had one of the best stretches of his career to close out November and into the start December. He's been a solid fit for the Canucks, and as he gets more comfortable, there's reason to believe he'll continue to find some more consistency in his game.

As for Kevin Lankinen, he's the immediate second place behind Hughes for Canucks season MVP. There were so many games early in the season while Thatcher Demko was recovering from his knee injury where Lankinen absolutely stole a victory for the Canucks. He's been found money, and this would be a lottery team right now without him, full stop. That's not an exaggeration either. Arturs Silovs has been that bad.
<h3>5. Who are some of the lesser talked about Canucks that Leafs fans should be on the lookout for on Saturday?</h3>
Conor Garland has been the Canucks' best forward this season, and Kiefer Sherwood is on pace to break the NHL hits record by a wide margin. Those two are probably the biggest impact players the Canucks have outside of their more talked about players.
<div>
<h2><strong>Join us for the first-ever TLN Nation Vacation!</strong></h2>
</div>
<a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-115002" src="https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2099/08/TLN_Nashville_article-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>
<div>

Alright, hockey fans, this isn’t just a trip—it’s the <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025">Nation Vacation</a>, and we’re heading to the Music City from March 20th to 23rd! Get ready to watch Toronto take on Nashville in their own barn, soak up the honky-tonk vibes, and make unforgettable memories with the Nation crew. Whether you’re all in for a flight package or prefer a non-flight option, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t wait—spots are limited, and this trip is going to be electric. Book your spot NOW at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/products/nation-vacation-toronto-to-nashville-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationgear.ca&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734810980719000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_i7FzyATbvkLHQ3ApMxZH">nationgear.ca</a>. Let’s go, Toronto! Nashville is calling!

</div>

CanucksArmy answers 5 key questions heading into Saturday’s game

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