Paul Cotter has four goals in four games for the Canucks, and he's playing like a man with something to prove.
"For a team that everybody in the world said is going to be last in the league, we're doing a lot of good things," Cotter said after Sunday's game.
Jeff Paterson noticed the theme. The forward has brought up that "us against the world" mindset a few times already, and he's clearly feeding off it.
The production backs it up. He has six points and a +4, with a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal and a game-winner already on his ledger.
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Sunday ended in a 3-2 loss to Vegas, but Cotter's standup celebration over Adin Hill showed exactly where his head is at.
Vancouver sits at 2-2-0. That's not a team racing to the bottom of the standings.
Manny Malhotra's Canucks have found an identity in Paul Cotter
Cotter carries a $2,150,000 cap hit. For that price, the Canucks are getting top-six scoring and an attitude the whole room can lean on.
The front office said it wanted a team fans could see enjoys playing together. A chip on the shoulder can build that faster than any speech.
He's right to use the doubters. A rebuilding team needs someone to give it an edge, and he grabbed that role in a hurry.
He's the kid picked last in gym class who ends up scoring the winner, then reminds everybody who picked the teams.
Elias Pettersson's resurgence helps too, with five points in his first three games and a physical edge nobody expected.
Now comes the real test. The Canucks open a six-game road trip Thursday in Carolina, followed by New Jersey, both New York clubs, Florida and Tampa Bay.
"Us against the world" is easy to sell at home. Cotter's theme gets its biggest test on the road, in six buildings that expect the Canucks to lose.
Can Paul Cotter's us-against-the-world attitude carry the Canucks this season?
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