Will the Canucks make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022-23?

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The Vancouver Canucks have only seen playoff action twice in the eight years.

The first was in 2014-15, which was the first year of Trevor Linden as President of Hockey Operations, Jim Benning as General Manager and Willie Desjardins as head coach. The Canucks overachieved that season and finished second in the Pacific Division with 101 points. Unfortunately, they lost six games in the first round to a younger and faster Calgary Flames team.

The Canucks would not see playoff action again until 2020 which was a very interesting year. Vancouver and 24 NHL teams took part in the “bubble playoffs” which started with the qualifying round. As we all know, the Canucks knocked off the Minnesota Wild in the qualifiers in five games, beat the St. Louis Blues in six and lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games. That was the series which saw Thatcher Demko display unreal goaltending in the final three games.

Two years later, new management and a new head coach have come in.

My last article was on five questions for the Canucks heading into next season. There was one I missed and it was the biggest one. Will they make the playoffs next season? It’s a bit early but let’s go over to reasons why they will make it and why they will not and take a look at how they compare to the rest of the Pacific Division.

Apr 29, 2022; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen (19) makes a save on a shot by Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser (6) during the shoot-out at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /

How do the Canucks compare to the rest of the Pacific Division?

The Calgary Flames did lose Johnny Gaudreau in free agency. They also lost Matthew Tkachuk but they managed to get assets back for him in a trade. Jonathan Huberdeau and Mackenzie Weegar are great acquisitions but will both or at least one of them re-sign? The Flames’ forward core is a bit weaker with the loss of Gaudreau and Tkachuk but Weegar bolts a solid defensive core that has the likes of Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev. (When he’s healthy) Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar still make a good goaltending tandem. The Flames still are a playoff team but probably won’t win the Pacific again.

The Edmonton Oilers are a team that could win the Pacific. It looks like they have found their starting goalie in Jack Campbell. They signed him to a five-year contract worth five million dollars a season. But can Campbell live up to his contract and prove he can be the goalie the Oilers have been looking for?

Edmonton still has a great group of forwards led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Evander Kane was a great pickup for them (But that can’t excuse his numerous off-ice issues) and they re-signed him to a four-year deal worth 5.1 million. Could he continue his offensive output from last season? However, the thing that could bring the Oilers down is their defence. Duncan Keith retired and they did re-sign Brett Kulak to a four-year deal but they didn’t make any improvements to the blue line. (Like the Canucks.)

The second-year Seattle Kraken are a team the analytics love for some reason. Last season, a lot of models had them making the playoffs but they didn’t make it. Once the models come out for next season, The Kraken did improve with the acquisitions of Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Shane Wright and Matthew Beniers bring a youth down the middle and will be dangerous in the not too far distant future. Justin Schultz was also signed and he will provide defensive depth. I don’t think the Kraken will be as bad as they were last year but I don’t see them making the playoffs.

The Vegas Golden Knights look to be the front runner to win the Pacific. Last year, they missed the playoffs for the first time and franchise history and were riddled with injuries. They traded Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations (which basically means nothing) because they were cap-strapped. Bruce Cassidy is an excellent hire behind the bench and Vegas is still a good team but can the likes of Mark Stone and Jack Eichel stay healthy?

As for the California teams, despite the signing of John Klingberg, the Anaheim Ducks are in rebuild mode and so are the San Jose Sharks. San Jose is likely to finish last in the Pacific. The team to watch is the Los Angeles Kings. They have a bunch of young talent like Sean Durzi and Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar and Philip Danualt are great veterans. Plus, the acquisition of Kevin Fiala makes them even better.

The Kings are a team on the rise and could make the playoffs again.

It could be a dog fight for the final playoff spot in the Pacific. It looks like Vegas, Edmonton and Calgary could be fighting for the top three but as for a wild card spot, the Canucks will be fighting with LA and Seattle for it. The Canucks seem to be in the middle of the pack for the Pacific.

VANCOUVER, BC – APRIL 14: Goalie Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammate Elias Pettersson #40 after defeating the Phoenix Coyotes 7-1 in NHL action on April 14, 2022 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Why the Canucks will make the playoffs

But enough about other teams, let’s look at the Canucks.

Let’s start with the big three: Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko. All three of them took big steps in their careers last season and will look to build on that. Pettersson’s second half showed that is the player he is: A dynamic playmaker. Hughes improved his defensive game from 2020-21 and broke franchise records for a defenceman while Demko emerged as one of the NHL’s best goaltenders.

All three are just going to get better and will be a massive part of the Canucks success. J.T. Miller, Conor Garland and Bo Horvat also make a good supporting cast to the top six.

The rest of the forward group (as of now) is good, especially with the acquisitions of Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Mikheyev and Curtis Lazar. Mikheyev helps the top six with speed while Lazar is a responsible defensive centre that helps the fourth line. Kuzmenko was an excellent playmaker in the NHL but he has the chance to prove he can be that in the NHL.

Of course, we can’t forget about head coach Bruce Boudreau. The Canucks head coach brought new life into them since taking over in December. They were 32-15-10 under Boudreau with 74 points. The Canucks played at a 106-point pace under Boudreau.

Throughout Boudreau’s coaching career in the NHL, he has missed the playoffs three times. (including last season.) Boudreau’s teams have never had a losing record even when he was fired midseason.

He also has a history of turning teams around. When he was hired by the Washington Capitals in 2007-08, they were 6-14-1. Under Boudreau, they went 37-17-7, won the Southeast Division title and made the playoffs for the first time in five years. Boudreau won the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year.

Boudreau did the same in Anaheim. He took over a Ducks team that was 7-13-4 at the start of the 2011-12 season and despite missing the playoffs, the Ducks went 27-23-8. The following season, the Ducks won the Pacific Division with a 30-12-6 record in a lockout-shortened year.

The Minnesota Wild were coming off a season where they went 38-33-11 when Boudreau was hired in 2016. In his first year in Minnesota, Boudreau led the Wild to a 49-25-8 record and they finished second in the Western Conference.

Boudreau’s track record of turning things around is no fluke. He already did that with the Canucks last season and the fans chanted “Bruce, there it is.” With a full season of Boudreau, fans have the right to be excited. He knows how to guide teams to the playoffs.

Why the Canucks won’t make the playoffs

There is still time to fix it but a huge reason why the Canucks may not make the playoffs is the defence. It is still the same as last season.

Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford called the defensive breakouts “one the worst in the league” at the end-of-season press conference and on the Bob McCown Podcast this past week, admitted that fixing the defence has been tougher than expected.

The Canucks breakouts were very poor last season and the defence often looked lost. They cannot go into next season with the same defensive core.

Then we bring up the competition for the final wild-card spot in the Pacific. The Alberta teams and Vegas will look to fight for the Pacific Division. The Kings might be the team that could cause problems for the Canucks. I have a feeling those two teams will be battling for a playoff spot all season. The Kraken could also surprise people.

We can’t forget about the Central Division teams too. The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will be fighting for wild card spots as well.

Can the Canucks be able to keep up with the competition?

My prediction

Under Boudreau, the Canucks will be fighting for a playoff spot all season. I think they could make it as a wild card team. However, if things go right they can surprise some people and finish higher than that.

With a decent forward core, two good goaltenders (Spencer Martin must prove he can handle the backup role, however) and an experienced coach that usually takes teams to the playoffs, I do see the Canucks as a playoff team in 2022-23.

Next. Five questions for the Canucks heading into next season. dark

Do you think the Canucks are a playoff team in 2022-23? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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