Opinion: The Vancouver Canucks are a Stanley Cup contender now
Not even the most optimistic Vancouver Canucks fan saw this coming.
After a decade of darkness, it appears the Canucks have finally found the light. The Canucks have played 20% of their schedule and they’re 12-3-1, which is the best 16-game start in the 53-year history of the franchise. Their star players are as good as anyone in the National Hockey League right now. Their new additions all appear to be perfect fits.
Could it all come crashing down? You wouldn’t be a Canucks fan if at least some part of you doesn’t fear that.
But I think we’re ready to risk getting hurt again.
Sure, the Canucks’ PDO (1.056) is the highest in the NHL right now, indicating that they’re getting the benefit of a few bounces. But this is not a team that has been securing wins by razor-thin margins.
THE CANUCKS CAPTAIN GETS IT DONE! 🐳
Quinn Hughes lights the lamp on a breakaway for the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/bYFiJQnB12
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 16, 2023
Wednesday’s big win over the New York Islanders was the Canucks’ first victory that wasn’t secured in regulation time. They only have one loser point in the bank, by virtue of their OT loss to the New York Rangers last month.
Nine of the Canucks’ 12 victories have been won by two goals or more — eight if you don’t include empty-net goals.
This doesn’t feel like just luck.
That’s why I’m ready to say something I haven’t said in at least 10 years: the Canucks are a Stanley Cup contender.
Are they the favourites? No. But are they in the mix? Do they have a chance?
I think they do.
That’s mind-blowing stuff given how this team played last season.
Hard to imagine President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford envisioned this when he made his “if everything goes right” comment in September.
Forget the playoffs — if everything goes right, they could go on a run.
By Dom Luszczyszyn’s model over at The Athletic, the Canucks have a 96% chance to make the playoffs. Only nine teams have better odds than Vancouver to win the Stanley Cup.
Analytics website MoneyPuck.com has the Canucks with the eighth-best odds to win the Cup.
Gambling websites are starting to get on the Canucks bandwagon too. Vancouver currently has the 12th-best odds (23.00) to win the Stanley Cup — tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning — according to Sports Interaction. They had the 21st-best odds this summer and were predicted to miss the playoffs in September.
After so many years of having the wrong mix, GM Patrik Allvin deserves a ton of credit for the additions to this roster.
The Canucks now have three top-four defencemen, with the additions of Filip Hronek and Ian Cole. They probably need to add another top-four blueliner, but show me a team in the salary cap era that doesn’t have at least one hole in their lineup.
Sam Lafferty, Pius Suter, and Teddy Blueger have been important depth adds down the middle in the bottom six. Phil Di Giuseppe has been found money, fitting in perfectly with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith has allowed head coach Rick Tocchet to confidently rest Thatcher Demko.
Speaking of Tocchet, he has pushed all the right buttons and has full buy-in from his players to play the style of hockey he wants.
Vancouver’s power play is lethal and far less predictable than in years past, thanks to the addition of more movement. It currently ranks second in the NHL. Their penalty kill is still a work in progress, but, ranked 23rd, it’s still a massive improvement from recent seasons.
The Canucks will go as far as their stars can take them, and we’ve never seen them all clicking at the same time before. Elias Pettersson, Miller, and Hughes are all tied for the league lead in scoring, while Boeser leads the NHL in goals. And Demko? Well, he’s the odds-on favourite to win the Vezina Trophy, according to multiple betting sites.
What do you call a team with multiple players in contention for the Vezina, Norris, Hart, and Rocket Richard trophies? I call it a team with a shot to go all the way.
Again, this is by no means a prediction. Winning the Cup is hard, and there are multiple teams that rightfully have better odds than the Canucks. One of them is in their own division, the Vegas Golden Knights. Getting out of the first round won’t be easy either if they go up against the Los Angeles Kings or Edmonton Oilers, should either team turn it around.
But there’s finally reason for optimism in Vancouver, and dare I say… reason to believe?
.@RobTheHockeyGuy on the 2023-24 #Canucks:
"For the first time in 10 years, I'm asking the question 'can they win the Stanley Cup this season?'…they have a chance, they're in the mix. Don't make any travel plans in June just in case."@GreatClips | https://t.co/cJDRTvYYmt
— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) November 16, 2023
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