Oddsmakers predicting Canucks will miss the playoffs AGAIN

The Vancouver Canucks are entering this season with the Stanley Cup Playoffs on their minds.

They want to be a playoff team. They expect to be a playoff team.

But will they?

With a full season under Bruce Boudreau and some improvements made to their forward ranks, the Canucks are better on paper entering this season. But their defence is still a big question mark.

It’s not easy to make the playoffs in the National Hockey League, which is a point hammered home by the odds Stake.com has listed for the Canucks entering this season.

The Canucks’ predicted point total, as determined by over/under, is 92.5. It’s the 10th-highest over/under listed for Western Conference teams. That means if the Canucks stay true to oddsmakers’ expectations, they’ll finish right where they did last season, around 92 points, 10th in the West — and out of the playoffs.

You might also like:
• The 2022-23 NHL standings as predicted by oddsmakers

That may come as a surprise to fans, many of whom are optimistic heading into this season.

Missing the playoffs would be a tough pill to swallow for the Canucks. Boudreau took it one step further, saying it would be a “big disaster” if they aren’t playing playoff hockey next spring.

Vancouver has made the postseason just once in the last seven years, and hasn’t played a playoff game at Rogers Arena since 2015.

To make the playoffs in 2022-23, the Canucks will likely need to finish as one of the top four teams in the Pacific Division. At the moment, oddsmakers have them ranked fifth, behind the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings.

Vancouver’s odds of winning their conference are also 10th-best in the West, at 24.30. The Canucks have the 18th-best Stanley Cup odds (44.0), and the 19th-best Presidents’ Trophy odds (65.00) out of the NHL’s 32 teams.

Pacific Division winner odds

1. Edmonton Oilers, 3.25
2. Calgary Flames, 3.25
3. Vegas Golden Knights, 4.20
4. Los Angeles Kings, 5.15
5. Vancouver Canucks, 10.40
6. Seattle Kraken, 53.00
7. Anaheim Ducks, 62.00
8. San Jose Sharks, 82.00

Stanley Cup winner odds

1. Colorado Avalanche, 5.10
2. Toronto Maple Leafs, 9.25
3. Florida Panthers, 10.40
4. Tampa Bay Lightning, 10.80
5. Carolina Hurricanes, 11.70
6. Calgary Flames, 16.10
7. Edmonton Oilers, 16.70
8. Vegas Golden Knights, 17.40
9. New York Rangers, 18.60
10. Minnesota Wild, 20.50
11. Pittsburgh Penguins, 21.50
12. St. Louis Blues, 23.80
13. Boston Bruins, 25.80
14. Los Angeles Kings, 30.00
15. New York Islanders, 32.00
16. Washington Capitals, 33.00
17. Dallas Stars, 40.00
18. Vancouver Canucks, 44.00
19. Nashville Predators, 45.00
20. Ottawa Senators, 49.00
21. New Jersey Devils, 51.00
22. Detroit Red Wings, 52.00
23. Winnipeg Jets, 53.00
24. Columbus Blue Jackets, 65.00
25. Buffalo Sabres, 69.00
26. Philadelphia Flyers, 76.00
27. Anaheim Ducks, 77.00
28. Seattle Kraken, 110.00
29. San Jose Sharks, 110.00
30. Montreal Canadiens, 130.00
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 150.00
32. Arizona Coyotes, 325.00

Presidents’ Trophy winner odds

1. Colorado Avalanche, 3.80
2. Toronto Maple Leafs, 6.85
3. Florida Panthers, 9.90
4. Tampa Bay Lightning, 10.80
5. Carolina Hurricanes, 12.40
6. Edmonton Oilers, 12.70
7. Calgary Flames, 15.40
8. Pittsburgh Penguins, 18.50
9. Minnesota Wild, 19.00
10. New York Rangers, 22.70
11. Vegas Golden Knights, 25.20
12. Los Angeles Kings, 38.00
13. St. Louis Blues, 43.00
14. Boston Bruins, 49.00
15. Nashville Predators, 50.00
16. Washington Capitals, 52.00
17. New York Islanders, 55.00
18. Dallas Stars, 58.00
19. Vancouver Canucks, 65.00
20. Winnipeg Jets, 89.00
21. Ottawa Senators, 89.00
22. New Jersey Devils, 96.00
23. Detroit Red Wings, 105.00
24. Columbus Blue Jackets, 190.00
25. Seattle Kraken, 195.00
26. Buffalo Sabres, 260.00
27. Philadelphia Flyers, 300.00
28. Anaheim Ducks, 325.00
29. San Jose Sharks, 350.00
30. Montreal Canadiens, 375.00
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 375.00
32. Arizona Coyotes, 400.00