On a professional level, Radim Vrbata has plenty of reasons to be pleased about his first National Hockey League season as a Vancouver Canuck.

“If you would tell me before the season that first off, we make the playoffs, I would be happy about that,” he says. “And that I would score 30 goals and over 60 points, I would be happy with that.”

But on a much more personal note, Vrbata is also happy about something else. Vancouver and its Canucks have helped turn Vrbata’s six-year-old son, Krystof, into a hockey fan.

“That may be the one thing that is most interesting to me and my wife,” a smiling Vrbata says. “When we were in Phoenix our son didn’t care about hockey all that much and now he is so much into it. I don’t know if it is because there is hockey on TV all the time here, but he is taking skating lessons now,

“I take him here (Rogers Arena) to skate, he is watching and wants to know who scored, who we play next. He is really into it and that is something.”

When Krystof asked his dad this season who scored for the Canucks, Radim often had to say something like, “Well, I did, son.”

Vrbata has scored a team-high 31 times as the Canucks prepare to play their final game of the regular season tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.

There is a good chance that Vrbata will be named the Canucks’ most valuable player when the team awards are handed out before the game

The 33-year-old Czech winger, signed last summer by new general manager Jim Benning to a two-year, $10-million deal, has fit like a glove with the Canucks.

He formed instant chemistry with Daniel and Henrik Sedin and helped kickstart a resurgent season for the twins. Recently, he has formed an effective partnership with Nick Bonino and Chris Higgins. He leads the team with 12 power-play goals.

Now Vrbata hopes to help the Canucks find success in the Stanley Cup tournament that for Vancouver figures to start Wednesday or Thursday.

Vrbata has 870 regular-season games on his NHL resume, but has played only 36 in the playoffs.

Nine of those came as a rookie in the 2001-02 season when the Colorado Avalanche made a run to the Western Conference Final.

“We lost in the conference final against Detroit in Game 7, so from that experience I thought every year would be like that,” he says. “But apparently not.”

Vrbata would have to wait eight seasons before tasting the playoffs again. The Phoenix Coyotes made the post-season three straight seasons, including a run to the conference final in 2012.

“You have to appreciate making the playoffs and having a chance to play for the Stanley Cup,” Vrbata says.

“You see how tough it is. It’s not easy to make it, so it’s good that we made it. Now we see what happens.”

Vrbata had spent the previous five seasons with the Coyotes and he and his family loved living in Arizona. But he decided to test the free-agent waters and found there was considerable interest in his services.