Zizing 'Em Up: Canucks on early-season heater

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Sunday, he will use his extensive networks of hockey contacts to write his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up."

TORONTO -- With the NHL season hitting the one-quarter mark of the season last week, the Vancouver Canucks were a popular pick for one of the most pleasant surprises to date.

Not for Jim Rutherford, though.

"No, not really," the Canucks president of hockey operations said in a phone interview Friday.

He paused.

"Look, you never know when things are going to come together," he said. "But I had the belief that our young core players were very good players. And to be able to surround them with the right players is very important. And we had a good offseason with bringing players in who know their roles and bring leadership and character to the team.

"You don't know if it's all going to come together. But (coach) Rick Tocchet did a good job of preparing them for the offseason. And give the players credit: they bought in to his plan."

So far, so good.

Vancouver (16-8-1) has 33 points, fourth in the NHL. Forward J.T. Miller (36 points), defenseman Quinn Hughes (34) and forward Elias Pettersson (32) are all in the top 10 in League scoring.

It's a far cry from last season when the Canucks (38-37-7) finished sixth in the Pacific Division with 83 points, 12 behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference.

So what's changed?

Rutherford offered his opinions on a number of topics, including the dominant performance of Hughes, the bounce back of forward Brock Boeser, the influence of Tocchet, the contract situation of Pettersson, and the possibility of additional adds to the roster.

First off, where would you assess the progress your team has made to this point of the season?

"Well, we're in a good place but we also realize there is a long way to go and we still have work to do. But like I said, the players have bought in to what the coach is trying to do. They did a lot of hard work prior to training camp and in training camp. It's carried on to this point. So, I'm thankful to 'Tocc' and his coaching staff for what the players have done."

Your relationship with Tocchet goes back to when you were the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and he was an assistant coach there. What is there about him that attracted you to bring him in midway through last season when he was an analyst with TNT? And what is it about him that makes players play so hard for him?

"He's a good communicator. And he makes players accountable. And he's very fair about it. It doesn't matter who it is. There's a standard for them all."

Hughes is only 24 but continues to ascend, both in points and in leadership after he was named captain at the start of the season. What makes this kid able to handle the pressure?

"Quinn has a very special skill level. His life is about hockey and it always has been since he started playing the game. He's had great training from his parents and growing up with his brothers (Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils). And he continues to work very hard to become the best. He's had an exceptional start. Unfortunately at this point, I think we've had to overplay him a little bit too much. We'd like to get to the point where he can play the proper minutes and be rested for every game. A special player with great leadership. And a special person."

You've stuck with forward Brock Boeser, who's had a roller-coaster past few seasons. In that time, he's dealt with the loss of his dad, a number of injuries, the list goes on. This season he's broken out with 17 goals in his first 25 games. What's been the key?

"This is a person I couldn't be happier for, because he's had to deal with a number of things, parts of life that are hard to deal with and continue playing. A lot of it is behind him now. Mentally he is stronger. And he prepared himself very hard for the start of the season. He has good chemistry with J.T. Miller. They've had a really good start."

Discuss the performance of GM Patrik Allvin, who moved forward Anthony Beauvillier to the Chicago Blackhawks early last week to create NHL salary cap flexibility to acquire defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Defense is a position you've all stated is something you wanted to shore up. How would you assess how Patrik has been doing?

"He's a really god hockey guy. He knows the players, not only in the National Hockey League but all around the world. He's a very hard-working guy. He's persistent. He's made a few trades here earlier in the year at a time when a lot of teams aren't making trades. Picking up Casey DeSmith to add depth in goal. Picking up (forward) Sam Lafferty. Picking up Zadorov. He's not waiting until we get closer to the Trade Deadline. He's consistently trying to make the team better, and he's already done that."

What's the urgency, if any, in getting Pettersson signed long term?

"We definitely and obviously would like to keep him in the fold. I think he could be in the top five players in the League when he's playing at his best. So, this is a young player coming into his prime. We're trying to handle this situation as carefully as we can. There doesn't really need to be urgency because we still control him for another year after this. And that's the position that we've taken."

How are you enjoying your time in Vancouver? In March, you sent a letter to season ticket holders asking for their patience and stressing that the team was heading in the right direction. How do you feel about your entire experience thus far?

"I enjoy a challenge. I like everything about Vancouver. I like the ownership. They've been really good to work with. I like where our team can get to. When I look at the state of the Canucks, it's not just about the big team. It's about our staff. It's about our pro and amateur scouting, our development, what we're doing with the farm club. We've made great strides in all those areas the last year, year-and-a-half. And so I feel good about that. I recognize we still have a lot of work to do. And we're just going to keep working on it until our team and organization gets to the level everyone wants it to be."

Finally, how good can this team be?

"There's a very fine line in this league because of parity.  You need to have everything working for you in order to win. I said that coming out of training camp and I'll continue to say that. You've got to make sure that you're healthy in all the right areas. You need everyone on board. I believe in the core group of this team, and the players we've built around them, I believe we still need to make some additions. But with the age group of our core guys, this team should be able to continue to improve and do good things as we go forward."

MAGICAL END TO HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER MONTH

It's been a little more than four years since Hayden Foulon, the little girl Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner called "my hero," passed away from leukemia at the far-too-early age of 7.

Marner had first met Hayden visiting kids at a local hospital while he was playing junior hockey for London of the Ontario Hockey League. He quickly forged a friendship with Hayden, her parents, Lindsay and Jon, and her little sister Harlow. To this day, Marner still wears a pink friendship bracelet given to him by Hayden.

On Thursday, Lindsay brought Harlow to the Maple Leafs-Seattle Kraken game at Scotiabank Arena. Lindsay got the tickets through POGO (Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario), a group attempting to ensure that everyone affected by childhood cancer has access to the best possible care and support -- from a child's diagnosis, through treatment and into survivorship.

The Foulons live about a two-hour drive northwest of Toronto. So when Lindsay told Harlow that she had a surprise and to guess where they were going, the little girl started guessing.

"Walmart? The mall?"

Wrong on both counts.

"We're going to Toronto to see Mitch play!" Lindsay told Harlow.

Cue the scream of joy.

Marner, meanwhile, was in a slump. He hadn't scored in eight games. He was wearing a clear fishbowl mask on his helmet to protect his face after taking a shot flush on the jaw during a game against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

A friend texted Lindsay before the game. "Maybe you'll both be the good luck charm Mitch needs," the message said.

Were they ever.

Not only did Marner have a hat trick, his first career one on home ice, he also scored the shootout clincher in a 4-3 victory.

On Hockey Fights Cancer Night in Toronto, on the final night of the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer month, it was a magical ending.

"I've lost two amazing people that I count on as my family," Marner said afterward. "One being my billet dad. The mom, the brother and sister, I count them as family members. Still see them all the time. And then, obviously, Hayden's family. We're still very close. We're talking to both families daily.

"It was a special night. Obviously, I had two angels looking down on me."

About 20 minutes later, Marner met with Lindsay and Harlow. The smile on Harlow's face was intoxicating.

Somewhere you had to think Hayden was smiling, too.

"SIXTEEEEEEEE-SEVEN!"

It was announced last week that the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs will be honored as the NHL Alumni Association's Man of the Year during the 2024 All-Star Weekend in Toronto Feb. 1-3.

The Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since that team did it, which has been the object of ridicule from opposing fans. It's been 56 years since Toronto won hockey's Holy Grail and, in fact, the franchise has never been to a Final in that span.

It's a different story for the surviving members of that team, who cherish that moment to this day. Captain Dave Keon, in fact, said the tribute to the 1967 Maple Leafs will be "a very cool moment."

"There's only seven of us left: Ronnie Ellis, Pete Stemkowski, Brian Conacher, Mike Walton, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford and myself," Keon said in a phone interview.

"I think this event will be very special, everybody getting together one more time, because we've lost a lot of guys the past couple of years. We cherish those memories and friendships that came from that year that we won. It'll be special to go back to that point in time and remember all the things we went through in eventually ending up winning.

"I think everybody will look back on it with a great deal of pride."

As well they should.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"It's cool to be a part of that. You see it happen, but I've never seen it live and been a part of it. I'm really happy for him, and it's pretty cool to see." -- Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby after watching goalie Tristan Jarry score a goal in a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

THE SUNDAY LIST

With Patrick Kane signing a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, here is a list of personal favorite moments of No. 88 during his illustrious career to date.

1. Cup Dreams 1

Kane's Stanley Cup winner in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final was voted the Goal of the Decade for the 2010s by NHL.com, and with good reason. The forward's goal 4:06 into overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers ended the Blackhawks' championship drought after 49 years with a 4-3 victory. Because the puck stuck in the padding inside the net, most of the fans and players didn't know it had gone in. Kane did. And soon so did the rest of the world.

2. Cup Dreams 2

When Kane scored to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead late in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, it may have been the loudest those of us in the building that night had ever heard the United Center. And that's saying a lot. The reason was simple: it would be the first time the Blackhawks had clinched a Stanley Cup on home ice since 1938. Several minutes later they did just that.

3. Showdown in the Windy City

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews grew up a Kane fan. On Oct. 8, 2018, student and mentor put on a show for the ages in Toronto's 7-6 overtime win against the Blackhawks. Kane scored two goals in the final two minutes. Not to be outdone, Matthews had two goals and two assists in the game. One of the most entertaining matchups you'll ever see.