The Vancouver Canucks are barely outside of a wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference as the All-Star break begins. Tied with the Colorado Avalanche at 52 points, Nathan MacKinnon and co. hold the tiebreaker, which pushes them into the final playoff spot
But the Canucks can thank rookie sensation Elias Pettersson for catapulting them into the thick of the playoff race. Unless the Swedish forward has a severe decline in production post-All-Star break, he is a lock to win the Calder Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s top rookie.