The Canucks had an idea of what they were getting when they acquired Pearson last season. The 6'1" forward has a proven history of scoring goals at almost every level he's played at. After being taken 30th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Kings, Pearson took steps forward in each of his first three seasons with LA before breaking out for consecutive 40-point seasons in 2016 and 2017.
Pearson's career year came in the 2016-17 campaign when he potted 24 goals for the Kings. He had a down year in 2018-19 split between LA and Pittsburgh before being traded to Vancouver. Pearson appeared to lose his confidence early last season but was quick to regain it upon joining the Canucks. He was set up to success for Vancouver with Travis Green giving him quality linemates and minutes from the get-go. Pearson has regularly played with Bo Horvat since the trade and has developed some impressive chemistry with the Canucks' captain. The team's current second line, which also includes Loui Eriksson, owns a 51.58 Corsi-For percentage and 57.89 High Danger Corsi-For percentage, a strong indication of possession dominance.
Pearson isn't just piling up his points in stretches. He's doing it consistently. The top-six forward has only been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games twice since mid-November and is on pace to easily surpass his previous career high of 44 points. Pearson is shooting the puck more frequently than he ever has before and is being rewarded for his strong play by receiving the highest average ice time (16:28) of his NHL career.
Instead of Vancouver relying primarily on the Pettersson, Boeser and Horvat trio this season, the wealth has been spread out more evenly. Pearson is one of six Vancouver forwards who have already reached double digits in goals this season. That's a major improvement from a year ago when Boeser, Horvat, and Pettersson all came close to the 30-goal mark but no other player on the team had more than 15 tallies. The depth contributions are a big reason the Canucks are averaging 3.34 goals-per-game this season after finishing with the sixth-lowest average in 2018-19 (2.64).
Pearson has also played a role in helping the Canucks' power play improve from 17.1 percent efficiency last season to 23.8 percent efficiency this season. The former King has chipped in three tallies with the man advantage, as the Canucks have confidently been able to put out their second unit without needing to rely on the big guns to get the job done. Pearson's power-play time (1:42 average) isn't much different from what he was seeing in LA, but he's already matched his career high in power-play goals. By using his 6'1", 201 lbs frame to create a net-front presence and relying on his solid hand-eye for deflections, Pearson is creating havoc for opposing goaltenders.