Canucks are 16th in NHL.com’s “Super 16” power rankings

VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 09: Alexander Edler #23 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings with teammates Troy Stetcher #51, Brock Boeser #6 and J.T Miller #9 during the third period at Rogers Arena on October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 09: Alexander Edler #23 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings with teammates Troy Stetcher #51, Brock Boeser #6 and J.T Miller #9 during the third period at Rogers Arena on October 9, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

Ahead of their showdown with the Minnesota Wild, the Vancouver Canucks placed 16th on the “Super 16” power rankings from NHL.com

The Vancouver Canucks qualified for the 24-team playoff format thanks to a .565 winning percentage, thus ending a five-year postseason drought.

Elias Pettersson and company will square off in a best-of-five against the Minnesota Wild, with Game 1 taking place this Sunday in the hub city of Edmonton, Alberta. The winner will advance to the round of 16, while the losing club will get a 12.5 percent chance at winning the 2020 draft lottery.

Vancouver finished one point ahead of Minnesota in the regular season standings, although the Wild recorded three more regulation victories. The Canucks also dropped two of the three regular season meetings against their former Northwest Division rivals.

With the resumption of the 2019-20 season drawing closer, NHL.com released its latest edition of the “Super 16” power rankings. The Canucks barely made the list by claiming the 16th and final spot.

Vancouver received 26 points from the NHL.com panel, narrowly finishing ahead of the Nashville Predators who garnered 22 points. The Pacific Division rival Calgary Flames, who finished a point ahead of the Canucks in the standings, had 10 points.

Aside from Bo Horvat (six playoff games in 2015), all of Vancouver’s young stars have yet to suit up in a postseason game. But there is plenty of experience to go around here; Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson both won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, and Jay Beagle helped the Washington Capitals to their first championship in 2018.

And of course, Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev played on the 2010-11 team that went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The latter suited up for five games during the 2011 postseason.

With a top-flight goalie in Jacob Markstrom and an excellent set of forwards, this team certainly has the ability to go on a bit of a playoff run. Needless to say, the Canucks will not go quietly when the postseason commences.