The Vancouver Canucks are coming off certainly one of their greatest seasons in franchise historical past, and which means expectations can be considerably larger than they had been a season in the past once they had been nonetheless treading water after lacking the playoffs once more. The expectation then was to both be within the playoff combine or make it as a wild card group. Now, heading into 2024-25, they’re anticipated to defend their Pacific Division crown and contend for the Stanley Cup. Discuss a leap in expectations, proper? Listed here are 5 burning questions as we proceed to depend down the times to September and the unofficial begin to Canucks hockey season: the Younger Stars match in Penticton.
Are the Canucks Contenders Now or Was 2023-24 a Flash within the Pan?
There wasn’t anybody within the hockey world, fan or in any other case, that predicted the Canucks to have a season the place they flirted with first within the Western Convention. In the event you stated you probably did, you’re mendacity. They shocked everybody and have become a contender, with folks even discussing them as a group that would win the Stanley Cup. Attending to 50 wins for the primary time since 2011-12 and solely the third time of their historical past (the opposite two occasions, they gained the Presidents’ Trophy), Canucks Nation was in a tizzy experiencing constant profitable hockey going again to the times of the Sedins and Roberto Luongo.
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With a brand new coach that demanded defensive construction and accountability, the Canucks thrived as among the best within the NHL. However, does this imply they’ve lastly gotten over the hump of mediocrity and lacking the playoffs 12 months after 12 months? Going into 2024-25, the core of the group stays the identical with JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko main the way in which. They’ve a deep roster with new ahead additions Jake DeBrusk, Daniel Sprong, and Kiefer Sherwood, however a little bit of a query mark with their defence, as they lack mobility aside from Hughes, Filip Hronek, and Tyler Myers. However contemplating what Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar did with the identical unsure defence (bear in mind, they solely had Hughes and Hronek as incumbents going into free company) final season, I wouldn’t depend out the unit changing into among the best within the league once more.
On paper, it seems the Canucks have the group to no less than match what they did final season by making the playoffs as a division seed. Past that, we’ll simply have to attend and see.
Rick Tocchet doesn’t seem like keen on placing collectively the Lotto Line for important durations of time, so Elias Pettersson will doubtless have two new linemates on opening evening. With the commerce of long-time duet accomplice Ilya Mikheyev, he should gel rapidly with no less than one to provide Tocchet one other duo to run with. Proper now, he has Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua, and Miller and Boeser as his go-to’s. Ideally, he would have three to cycle by way of, however till Pettersson reveals some chemistry with somebody, he’ll most likely see a revolving door of wingers – no less than to begin.
First in that revolving door can be DeBrusk, given normal supervisor Patrik Allvin’s feedback when he was signed. He expects him to play with Pettersson, and provides him the scoring winger he hasn’t had since Tyler Toffoli’s transient 17-game stint in 2019-20. As for the opposite winger, Sprong, Heinen, Vasily Podkolzin, Nils Hoglander, and possibly even Kiefer Sherwood and rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki will get seems there within the preseason to see who would possibly match because the third member of the road. I’m positive Tocchet is hoping DeBrusk has an instantaneous reference to Pettersson, and he can confidently deploy three duos frequently.
How Will Brock Boeser Comply with Up His First 40-Aim Season?
Brock Boeser‘s manufacturing final season was an enormous cause why the Canucks completed first within the Pacific. He hit the 40-goal milestone for the primary time in his profession and was the harmful goal-scoring risk that everybody anticipated he could be after his rookie season in 2017-18. He was additionally wholesome, dressing for a career-high 81 video games; he would have performed all 82 if Tocchet didn’t gown a skeleton lineup for the ultimate recreation of the season.
Boeser’s huge marketing campaign began early along with his first four-goal recreation in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers on opening evening. It continued from there as his longest scoring drought was solely seven video games, together with two hat methods in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets, and 6 extra multi-goal video games. He was as near a machine as you can get, and now it begs the query, will he be capable to do it once more? The final three 40-goal scorers the Canucks have had in Todd Bertuzzi (2002-03), Daniel Sedin, and Ryan Kesler (each in 2010-11) couldn’t replicate their success the next season, or the remainder of their careers for that matter. Can Boeser break that development in 2024-25?
Hopefully, the blood clot Boeser suffered earlier than Recreation 7 in opposition to the Oilers is a one-time factor and he can return wholesome and prepared for one more full season. With a middle like Miller on his line, something is feasible, so I wouldn’t depend out a second 40-goal season from the Minnesota native.
Will Dakota Joshua Stay as much as His Large Contract?
Joshua is hands-down Allvin’s greatest free agent signing since he turned GM of the Canucks. From a depth grinder to a flexible, two-way energy ahead, he has blossomed earlier than our eyes and is now a significant piece of the roster. After all, that meant an enormous increase on the budget-friendly $850,000 common annual worth (AAV) he was incomes when he first joined the group. After two profession seasons, he acquired a four-year extension price $3.25 million AAV, and all of the expectations that include it.
At that type of cash, followers can be anticipating on the very least 15-20 targets, presumably extra. The great factor is, Joshua’s worth doesn’t simply come from targets and factors. He additionally brings physicality (467 hits over the past two seasons), elite penalty killing, and arguably solidifies the Canucks’ id of being robust to play in opposition to. If he simply continues to play like he has since coming to Vancouver, the $3.25 million can be well-earned.
What About Vasily Podkolzin?
Earlier than the Canucks signed Sprong, Podkolzin had a great probability of breaking into the top-six with a strong coaching camp and preseason. Now, it’s a bit extra murky. He has to clear waivers to be despatched to the American Hockey League (AHL), and whereas they could be capable to sneak him down throughout the preseason, it’s a danger they most likely shouldn’t take. So, he both beats out the competitors for a spot or Allvin tries to commerce him for an asset. In my thoughts, these are the 2 choices.
Followers are hoping Podkolzin can mirror Hoglander’s 2023-24 season and grow to be a full-time NHLer. After a growth season within the AHL in 2022-23, Hoglander broke out to the tune of 24 targets (all at even energy) and spent many of the marketing campaign within the prime six alongside Pettersson. In 2023-24, the Canucks gave Podkolzin the identical remedy, holding him in Abbotsford for practically your entire season. He completed with 15 targets and 28 factors in 44 video games, exhibiting large development in his defensive recreation and even added one other weapon to his arsenal – a deadly one-timer on the ability play. He then got here as much as the NHL for 19 video games and didn’t look misplaced, showcasing an additional degree of physicality with 70 hits – 14 off the entire he threw in his rookie season when he performed 79 video games.
Podkolzin seems to be able to make a mark on the league this season, the one query is, do the Canucks have room of their lineup for him to do it?
Questions Will Begin to Be Answered On Oct. 9
We at the moment are beneath two months away from the common season when the Canucks will tackle the Calgary Flames at Rogers Enviornment. All of those questions gained’t be totally answered till 2025, however we’ll begin to get a way of the place they’re heading very early on. With the Younger Stars match set for Sept. 13 and the preseason Sept. 24, hockey is getting nearer by the day.
