Why these three “Magic Men” could eventually form the Canucks top line

On June 23rd, 2017 when Elias Pettersson first slipped on the jersey of the Vancouver Canucks no one knew then that the scrawny kid would become the first of the Canucks’ magic men. When he then proceeded afterward to tear up the SHL and garner every offensive award available to him, fans started to get an inkling of just how special he might be.

A year later, Judd Brackett tuned out the white noise from Canucks’ Twitter and chose a very thin Tyler Madden over a bulkier and then more productive Jake Wise, no one except perhaps him knew that another future “Magic Man” was about to be born for the Canucks. Now as Madden sets the NCAA on fire with his puck wizardry, his likely arrival date some time in 2020 can’t come soon enough for Canucks’ fans.

And just a few months ago when Nils Hoglander seemingly fell into Jim Benning’s lap in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, no one considered that a future “Magic Men” line was now possible. Now after watching him score a lacrosse goal on ice and pirouette and shimmy shake all around the rink with his elbows flying high few doubt that even more sorcery will be arriving in Rain City in 2020.

It’s true that Pettersson thus far is the only proven NHL magician among the three players, but watching Madden and Hoglander play the game from afar brings back fond memories of the Alien Swede in his lead up to entering the NHL wars.

Both Madden and Hoglander considered taking a shot at making the Canucks’ roster at the end of their 2018-19 seasons. In the end, they both decided not to rush things and instead chose to spend another season in the NCAA and SHL respectively. With the two of them clearly blossoming this season, they are both primed to add a double dose of excitement to Vancouver’s NHL roster soon. The likes of which have not been seen since Pettersson landed his out-of-this-world spaceship in the center of Rogers Arena in 2018.

At some point in the future, and perhaps as early as the spring of 2020, Travis Green will have the option of putting together a line of three players who think the game at the same stratospheric level. If they can together establish a three-way Sedin-like Vulcan mind-meld they potentially could become the best line in franchise history. Three Magic Men who may make Canucks’ fans dreams of a first Stanley Cup closer to reality than most might think.