Canucks: Who would they want to face in round 1 of playoffs?

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If the Vancouver Canucks qualify for the postseason, which opponent should they hope to draw? A look at the possibilities.

Entering play on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks are four points clear of the Arizona Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets, who are right below the playoff bar.

But the Canucks four games in hand on the Coyotes, and three on the Jets. So their cushion should be viewed as something closer to seven points. At any rate, it’s going to be hard for either of those teams to pass Vancouver in the standings.

And it would take quite the collapse for the Canucks to miss out entirely. They just have to finish better than one of the following teams: The Vegas Golden Knights (78 points), Edmonton Oilers (74 points), Calgary Flames (72 points) and Nashville Predators (70 points).

I’m not saying you should schedule your April playoff party yet, but it’s truly hard to envision Vancouver unraveling and missing out entirely on the postseason at this point.

So let’s just play the fun game and assume the Canucks are going to enter the postseason. Who would be the ideal playoff opponent, between all the teams listed above?

I grouped all of the potential opponents in three tiers, starting from least desirable to most desirable. So let”s get to it.

Please, no

For starters, we can all agree that Vancouver won’t want to face Vegas. They have the deepest roster in the Pacific Division, and the 2018 Western Conference champions are rolling with seven straight wins. This is the last team Vancouver wants to play.

Now, let’s look at the rest of the opponents.

Hopefully not

Edmonton Oilers: Led by leading scorer Leon Draisaitl and the game’s best player in Connor McDavid, Vancouver would be better off not having to worry about the super duo. These two rivals split the four-game season series.

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Their top-nine can give Vancouver plenty of problems too. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a superb two-way centre.

Newcomer Andreas Athanasiou possesses world-class speed that could cause problems for Vancouver’s less mobile blueliners. James Neal, with 55 points in 104 postseason games, would also be a cause for concern.

Calgary Flames: Vancouver has dropped two of three meetings against their biggest rivals. The Flames also boast a superb 19-13-2 record on the road, and they’ve caught fire (pun intended) under interim head coach Geoff Ward (21-13-2).

The Flames have the ideal combination of size, skill and speed all over their roster. This is not a great matchup for Vancouver on paper.

Tolerable, but not ideal

Winnipeg Jets: The Jets have won both meetings against the Canucks this season, and they swept the season series in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Vancouver hasn’t beaten Winnipeg since Dec. 2016, so you can see why the Jets aren’t the most ideal opponent here.

The Jets are barely hanging around in the playoff race thanks to world-class goalie Connor Hellebuyck and their big guns on offence. Winnipeg has five players with 50-plus points, led by Mark Scheifele‘s 68 and Kyle Connor‘s 64.

Not sure Vancouver would be keen on facing a team that 1. always beats them 2. owns a goalie that can steal a series and 3. boasts an elite top-six that can outmuscle Vancouver’s top scorers. Still, the questions on Winnipeg’s blue line would give Vancouver the advantage in a best-of-seven.

Also, this matchup can only realistically happen if Vancouver wins the Pacific, and if Winnipeg earns the top wild card spot.

The ideal matchups

Nashville Predators: The Preds have regained their old, dominant form under interim coach John Hynes, boasting a 12-8-1 record under his watch. But Vancouver scored 17 goals in the three-game season series sweep of the Preds.

Nashville goalies have combined for a porous .903 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average. Defenceman Roman Josi leads the team in scoring with 57 points, and Filip Forsberg (42) is a distant second here.

In short, Vancouver shouldn’t worry too much about a team with leaky goaltending and a lack of pop in their offence. Did I mention that the Canucks easily swept the season series?

Arizona Coyotes: They were a nice story in the first half, but the Coyotes have been slumping miserably in the new year. As expected, goalie Darcy Kuemper has come back to earth after carrying an extremely flawed team through December.

A lack of firepower up front (Nick Schmaltz leads Arizona with 42 points) makes the Coyotes a very minor threat to Vancouver. There just isn’t enough skill here to keep up with Elias Pettersson and company in a best-of-seven series.

Arizona’s stingy defence might keep the games close but the Canucks would have the advantage all across the board: Up front, on the blue line and in the crease. If everything goes right for Vancouver, they would draw the Coyotes in round one — although it’s hard to envision them getting in at this point.

Conclusion

There is still a long ways to go, and the playoffs aren’t a gimme for the Canucks yet. But if they can draw a favorable first round matchup — and if Vegas were to be upset along the way — Vancouver could be looking at a clear path to the Western Conference Final.

Next. Canucks: The time is now for Thatcher Demko. dark

But for now, the focus is on making the postseason while locking down home ice advantage in round one. Vancouver can worry about their possible playoff opponents another day.

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