The Vancouver Canucks have suffered through quite a few downtrodden seasons since 2009, but they did have quite a few good years interspersed in there, meaning they haven’t fared as poorly as you may think in the NHL Playoffs. While they are nowhere near the top of the NHL, Vancouver ranks 14th in the league, tied for eight playoff series wins beginning in the 2008-09 season alongside the Colorado Avalanche.
The Canucks can attribute that success to some strong seasons between 2008-09 and 2010-11 when they won five of those eight playoff series. Vancouver’s high-water mark came in the 2011 playoffs when they won the Presidents’ Trophy with 117 points and cruised through three playoff series wins in the postseason.
No, they couldn’t finish the job in what was a four games to three loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, but it was still one of the finest seasons of any club in the 21st century. They just couldn’t get the job done in Game 7.
Vancouver Canucks winning playoff series again in the mid-2020s
Between 2011-12 and 2018-19, the Canucks were either shut out of the playoffs or lost in the first round. But the 2020 postseason saw Vancouver enjoy a renaissance when they defeated the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues before losing in the Second Round to the Vegas Golden Knights in a series that once again went to seven games.
Vancouver sunk back into obscurity for three seasons, but in 2023-24, they once again gave their fans hope, winning the Pacific Division and defeating the Nashville Predators four games to two. While their Game 7 woes once again haunted the franchise in a loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the Second Round, there is nonetheless optimism for the future.
The Canucks look like they’ll be a relevant team for a while now, and it shouldn’t surprise fans in British Columbia if they embark on something similar to what we enjoyed between 2008-09 and 2010-11.
(Additional information provided by Hockey-Reference)