This week’s focus is once again not a specific award; we’ll go into the most improved teams from this season. These are the teams that have shown the most growth from last season to this season.
Most Improved Team: Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have had vast improvement from last season to this season all across the board. As a team, the Canucks finished with 83 points last season, which put them 12 points out of a playoff spot. This season, however, has been a completely different story. They are already up to 104 points, which currently has them in first place in the Pacific Division, and have clinched a playoff spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. That is quite a significant team improvement in one season. In addition to the team’s overall improvement, it seems as if many Canucks players have made individual improvements this season, which has helped propel the team to its current position. For instance, star defender Quinn Hughes has really taken the next step and become one of — if not the most — elite defender in the entire league. The Canucks should be more than pleased with the many jumps they have taken in only one season.
Second Most Improved Team: Winnipeg Jets
Although they did not have as significant of an improvement as the Canucks, the Winnipeg Jets are another team that has greatly improved from last season. At this time last season, the Jets were one of the teams fighting for the last wild card playoff position in the Western Conference. Nevertheless, this season, instead of fighting for a playoff spot down the stretch, they have had one secured for most of the year and are already at 100 points, exceeding their point total of 95 from last season with a number of games still to be played. What makes this improvement even more impressive is that there was talk from many in the hockey world during the offseason, when the Jets started a rebuilding phase. Instead of completely heading in that direction, the Jets’ front office decided to keep their team’s core intact, and fortunately for them, it paid off. As the Jets prepare for a potential playoff run, reflections on their regular season performance should all be extremely positive.
Third Most Improved Team: St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues’ improvement this season has largely flown under the radar. The reason for this is that they currently do not sit in a Western Conference playoff slot. However, this should not take away from the fact that they have had good improvement from last season to this season, as they finished with 81 points last season but sit at 87 points this season with games yet to be played. During last season’s trade deadline, the club traded their two star players, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. It would be logical to think that the Blues’ performance would therefore have declined this year. But instead, the Blues have only improved, which is something that the team should be proud of.
