Entering the 2023-24 season, the Vancouver Canucks were several years removed from their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had gone through a handful of head coaches as well as notable overhauls of their roster. Not many realistically expected them to be a force in the Pacific Division, but the team had other ideas.
Not only did they reach 50 victories for the first time since the 2011-12 season, but they also won their division for the first time since that campaign while securing home ice throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Brock Boeser had a breakout year with a career-high 40 goals along with a spectacular campaign from captain Quinn Hughes, which resulted in winning the Norris Trophy. They also got stellar goaltending from Thatcher Demko.
Unfortunately, Demko was injured shortly into Vancouver's Round 1 postseason series against the Nashville Predators. That forced them to rely on rookie Arturs Silovs. And while their run was halted by the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in Round 2, it was a thrilling ride for the fan base. They're hoping for bigger and better things from the team this upcoming year, but with a handful of key departures over the summer, can they build on their success?
The Canucks added and subtracted during the summer
The Canucks lost valuable depth both upfront and on the back end during the offseason. They were unable to re-sign prized trade deadline acquisition Nikita Zadorov. Additionally, center Elias Lindholm departed, with both players signing free-agent contracts with the Boston Bruins. Right-wing Ilya Mikheyev moved to the Chicago Blackhawks, and Sam Lafferty joined the Buffalo Sabres. Finally, defenseman Ian Cole departed and joined the Utah Hockey Club.
Meanwhile, Silovs is now the main backup to Demko with the departure of Casey DeSmith; he was re-signed with a two-year contract.
Arriving in town is former Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk, who agreed to a seven-year deal to move to the Pacific Northwest. The Canucks also added depth by signing forwards Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood, and Daniel Sprong, along with defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Vancouver also retained several of their free agents by awarding new contracts to Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers.
Valuable depth was lost on the blue line
If Vancouver is thinking that repeating as Pacific Division champions will be an easy task, they may be in for a difficult lesson in reality. While Zadorov only spent a few months with the Canucks, he immediately became one of their top players on the blue line by averaging 17:04 time on the ice while contributing four goals and four assists in his 13 postseason appearances.
The loss of Cole may be more significant than fans realize. He led the team with 166 blocked shots (the third most in his career). Fans should also hope that Demko stays healthy. Silovs performed admirably when thrust into postseason action, but expecting a repeat performance in the regular season is never a sure thing.
Additionally, if Hughes were to suffer an injury, the Canucks' blue line would struggle to replace the value he provides.
Can the offense continue to hum along?
The Canucks should be able to tread water with the additions of DeBrusk (19 goals with Boston last season) and Sprong (18 goals with Detroit last season), along with Heinen and Sherwood thanks to their top-heavy first two forward units. The aforementioned additions will be counted upon to provide an offensive punch should Elias Pettersson or Boeser fail to repeat their performances from last season.
However, Vancouver may be hard-pressed to successfully convert on their shot-scoring rate as they did last season, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic:
“Vancouver was still able to finish the season as a top-10 team in terms of goals scored, but the rate at which it generated shots and scoring chances was closer to the bottom 10 than it was to the high end as the results made it seem.
Or to try and put it as simply as possible: If the Canucks haven’t materially improved their offensive attack this summer and instead have the same talent level offensively as last year, the results could fall off somewhat more significantly than the model or than Canucks fans are prepared for.”
Overall outlook: It's Vancouver's division crown to lose
Until the Canucks are dethroned from their top spot in the division, the title is theirs to lose. They will face strong competition from the Oilers, while the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken aim to achieve greater success in the 2024-25 season.
But with another year of experience under the belts of Vancouver's top players, a second-straight division crown isn't an impossible goal.
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