Vancouver Canucks: 2027 Stanley Cup Champions?
FanSided’s very own Kyle McKenna projected when every NHL team will win its next Stanley Cup, and he has the Vancouver Canucks winning it in 2027. Will the franchise have its first title by then? Or even sooner?
The Vancouver Canucks are one of 12 NHL teams to have never won the Stanley Cup, but they were just a single game away from capturing it in both 1994 and 2011.
This franchise has been around since the 1970-71 season, and we’re closing in on 50 years without the Canucks winning a Stanley Cup. It’s been a long and painful five years for the fans, who are (im)patiently waiting for this lengthy rebuilding process to be done with.
There’s a terrific young core in place, led by Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. The Canucks also have a handful of elite prospects, including Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Dahlen, Quinn Hughes, Olli Juolevi and Thatcher Demko. However, it’s safe to say the Canucks won’t be realistic Cup contenders for another three seasons, perhaps even longer than that.
FanSided’s Kyle McKenna projected when every NHL team will next win the Stanley Cup. He believes the Canucks will win it all in 2027. Here’s what McKenna had to say, in part:
“It’s been a roller coaster of a ride for the beautiful city of Vancouver’s NHL team in the Canucks for far too long. Yet, there’s hope on the horizon with a legitimate rebuild in store, but Vancouver will have to remain patient…Fortunately, forward Brock Boeser is only 21-year-old and the Canucks can afford to extend him long term and build the offense around him and Pettersson. Still, there’s a lot of work to do, and it’s going to take at least six years for the Canucks to get back in Stanley Cup contention.Vancouver will win it’s next Cup in 2027.”
First off, a great job by McKenna to put the time, effort and research into this brilliant piece. Now, let’s analyze his prediction for the Canucks winning it in nine years.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
By 2027, the Canucks top young players right now will be considerably older. Horvat will be 32, Boeser 30, Petterson 28 (late birthday, in November), Hughes 27 (late birthday, in October), and Juolevi 29.
It’s impossible to guess which other players the Canucks could own between now and 2027, so these projections have to go based on the current players and prospects in the organization.
With what they have now, the Canucks should be a Stanley Cup contender by 2021.
In the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators figure to be contenders in 2019 and for many years to come. Matt Larkin of The Hockey News broke it down beautifully here.
The long-time Pacific Division bullies in the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are seeing their windows rapidly close. Again, Mr. Larkin broke that down here, pointing out that the core players on each team now in their 30s. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers figure to contend for a while, however, with their young star-studded score.
So the Canucks will have plenty of competition in the Western Conference. You can’t say their future is better than that of the Flames, Jets, Oilers or Predators. But you can’t say they won’t be inferior to all these teams for the next decade, either.
Taking these clubs and the ages of the Canucks top players and prospects into account, 2021 seems like a safe timeline as to when they’ll be a Stanley Cup contender. Obviously, nobody can just assume they’ll win one between then and 2027.
If someone from the future were to travel to the present and tell us that the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup sometime between now and 2027? 2021-2025 seems a tad more realistic, given the core players will only be in their mid-to-late 20s by then. Right in the middle of their respective primes.
Canucks: Should they chase Tyler Seguin in 2019?. dark. Next
And considering the Canucks have already waited nearly a half-century to win a Stanley Cup, it’s safe to say the sooner that championship comes — if it ever does — the better. So let’s call a Stanley Cup in 2023.