Very Early Prediction Time! Where Do You See The Canucks Finishing The Season?

[The Stig]

Well where do you see us finishing? Why?

I see us finishing in the 1st Wild Card spot. Vegas, LA and Edmonton finish ahead of us but Edmonton only 2-5 points ahead.

I think the additions of Cole and Soucey address a big need plus a full season of Hronek will be a great step above last year's D core. Petey and Quinn keep getting better, Demko is fully healthy, Miller keeps producing. The real questions are with guys like Podkolzin and Höglander and if they can take a step, but that's not a huge problem to worry about.

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[Hoglander]

I'm tentatively going with a wild card spot. I think Tocchet fixes the poor start/ fitness issues, and Demko/Boeser/Hoglander have something to prove this year. Goaltending and the PK will be better, the defence will defend better... just enough to squeak in as a 7/8 seed.

 

[yzerman]

Quite Vancouver fan since Näslund days and i think this year Vancouver can be a top 3 team in their division or a bottom 10-14 team really hard to guess.But if the younger players take a step forward and top players is even better and Demko is healthy and the D core is stable Vancouver can be a playoff team and be a surprise to many this season a lot of potential is in the team for sure.

 

[oceanchild]

I feel like we are due for a season that doesn’t make sense compared to the underlaying stats. Demko plays lights out, our d group is slightly above average and our forward group while not spectacular is deep on the wings and has two legit top two centers.

 

[Javaman]

Went with "Wild Card" but not super confident about that. If the key players stay healthy, and the off-season moves work out as expected, then they have a decent chance to make the playoffs.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I picked Wild Card.

I think our defense is better and our PK shouldn't be as historically awful. Major X-Factor will be the health of key players. If we can stay reasonably healthy, I like our chances. If not, I doubt it ends well.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Nucks battle Calgary for the 2nd WC spot.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

The team is incrementally improved yes, but is it enough? I still see too many "ifs" to be a believer, and I skew pessimistic.

 

[rypper]

I think everything boils down to healthiness of key players. If they can get that, I think they've addressed key areas well enough to get into the playoffs.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Our top players should be able to take the team to the playoffs. If not, then it's time to reconsider if they are actually top players.

The rest of the team is only an excuse for not going deep.

 

[VanillaCoke]

About the same as last (every) year

 

[bossram]

They're really kinda set in that "bubble" group with several other teams. I could see them getting into a WC spot, or just missing.

 

[Canuckle1970]

Health of key players is everything. Hope Tocchet and crew have the players super motivated to come in good shape.

If they can get through that f***ing perennial 5 game Eastern road swing in October, then we'll see.

If they stay healthy (especially Demko), they should be a wild card.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Outside by 5-10 points

 

[Peen]

Not making this prediction until seasons start when giraffe is gone

 

[RobertKron]

I predict they'll finish the regular season in Winnipeg.

 

[wonton15]

Myers here until December or later? Miss by a few points

Myers gone by start of season? Wildcard spot and 1st or maybe 2nd round exit

 

[DFAC]

42-31-9

Just outside looking in - 93 pts with LA taking the last playoff spot with 97 pts

 

[Jyrki]

The team is a few injuries away from disaster, but again we're benefiting from a bad division. Sharks and Ducks will be punching bags while Flames look to be in tatters and the Kings took risky gambles. Then over in the Central you have two teams outright tanking while Jets/Blues/Preds all look middling and the Wild unable to take the next step.

While we're unlikely to pass the Kraken or the Oilers for a division spot we should be in the thick of the wild card race and secure one of the spots in the 90s point range

 

[82Ninety42011]

We're a wild card team in my opinion. We have the talent and some depth now however some question marks as well with Demko's health, the pk and confidence. A good start will go a long ways we definitely can't be behind early again. Demko healthy and pk is back to average we're contenders as well.

 

[Huggy]

Cup

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

The team is a few injuries away from disaster, but again we're benefiting from a bad division. Sharks and Ducks will be punching bags while Flames look to be in tatters and the Kings took risky gambles. Then over in the Central you have two teams outright tanking while Jets/Blues/Preds all look middling and the Wild unable to take the next step.

While we're unlikely to pass the Kraken or the Oilers for a division spot we should be in the thick of the wild card race and secure one of the spots in the 90s point range

We're not in a bad division anymore..We had four teams that cracked 100 points or more last season..and also the team that won the Stanley Cup.

The Central division looks to be the weak division with so many teams rebuilding, or in limbo..The Canucks could rack up the points against this division, if they can collectively get it together.

 

[tiny103]

Bubble wild card. The team in front of Demko seems to be improving and hopefully that relieves some of the load on Demko and who ever is the backup....

 

[VanJack]

Based on last year's standings, they'll have to reel in Calgary, Winnipeg and Nashville who finished ahead of them, with the Jets claiming the final wildcard. And they'll have to fend off St. Louis and Arizona who finished just behind them.

Could happen, but a lot has to go right. I'm sensing that if the Jets and Flames don't get off to hot starts and start to flounder in the standings, their GM's will pull the trigger on some big trades.

And Nashville has made a bunch of changes that don't really move the needle for me; while St. Louis could be a bounce-back candidate. But checking their roster, they could just as easily go the other way.

So the Canucks are on the bubble......but feel safe in predicting that Vancouver will actually be playing 'meaningful games' in March,, not the 'sham games' waiting for the inevitable playoff elimination like the last two seasons.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I think the odds makers got this right.

We should be expected to finish right out side the playoffs.

If everything falls right we make it in the wild card spot.

And if anything major goes against us, say Demko or EP40 misses a decent chunk of games, or if JT Miller plays like he did the first ~60 games last year, we are way out.