What a difference two years make.

Two years ago today, this (should we call it infamous now?) photo at NHL All-Star weekend was snapped.

The Canucks, who went on to win the Pacific Division before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, boasted seven players at NHL All-Star weekend just two years ago.

From left to right:
-Goaltender Thatcher Demko, who posted a .918 save percentage across 51 starts and finished as runner-up to Connor Hellebuyck for the Vezina Trophy.
-Brock Boeser, who not only eclipsed 30 goals for the first time in his career, but reached the 40 goal mark as well before producing at a point per game clip through 12 playoff games (with seven goals).
-JT Miller, who put up 103 points and eclipsed 30 goals for the third straight season in 2023-24.
-Quinn Hughes, holder of multiple Canucks franchise records among defencemen, would go on to win the first Norris Trophy in Canucks history later that season.
-Elias Pettersson, well on his way to eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second-straight season, Pettersson’s production declined later this season, but he still managed to finish with 34 goals and 89 points.
-Elias Lindholm, acquired by Calgary just days prior, he played a key role for the Canucks down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Of course, this was also the last NHL All-Star weekend, as the 4 Nations Face-Off served as a replacement in 24-25, and the 2026 Winter Olympics will see the NHL pause its season for nearly three weeks beginning this Thursday.

So where are those All-Stars of two years ago now? Again, working from left to right…

-Has played in just 43 non-consecutive regular-season games since then, and is now out for the rest of this season with the second hip surgery of his career.
-Signed a new contract after feeling disrespected by the organization, has struggled to score goals since the club traded away his linemate.
-Boeser’s linemate, traded for a 1st round pick (which turned into Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor before anyone had time to blink), Filip Chytil, and Victor Mancini. Things have gone poorly for him with the New York Rangers, where he was named captain at the start of this season. The Rangers are now entering a retool phase.
-Asked out of Vancouver, and helped kickstart a long overdue Canucks rebuild, that fans are currently waiting to see if the organization can be patient enough to see it through.
-Signed a big-ticket long-term contract extension in March 2024, and has scored 32 goals in 144 games since.
-Walked in the offseason to sign as a free agent with the Boston Bruins.

The only one of these players who will be in the Canucks’ lineup Wednesday night when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights will be Elias Pettersson, as Brock Boeser is out with a concussion and Demko is recovering from surgery. Oh, and Rick Tocchet was an All-Star coach that year as well, and went on to win the Jack Adams Award.

What a difference two years can make.