Speculation: Who are our rivals now?

[deckercky]

Nobody at the moment, the team is too mediocre and irrelevant to have a rival

The team had lots of rivalries over it's first 30 years when it was mediocre and irrelevant. There will be lots of rivalries that will be renewed next year I'm sure.

Calgary for sure though.

 

[Rex Banner]

Calgary
Edmonton
Anaheim
LA
SJ
Arizona

 

[timw33]

Personnel has changed so much that it'll take a couple seasons to form new rivals IMO.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Well, it seems the days of being able to compete with the Hawks, Kings and Ducks are over.

Our rivalry with Calgary died long ago. Kassian trolls the Oilers well, but nothing builds from it.

Playing the Bruins is fun, but it happens once a year, two if we're lucky.

Do we even have any real rival right now?

Probably Phoenix.

Not only is Phoenix in our division, but they are also a 7th-10th place calibre team much like we are........meaning that we will likely be battling them for those last 1-2 playoff spots.

LA, Anaheim, and San Jose are all bonafide playoff teams. Calgary and Edmonton play the role of Glenn Anderson in a male burlesque house. That leaves the Nucks and Yotes fighting over those last few spots.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Alberta.

 

[Jimson Hogarth*]

Last year we were very sad and pathetic against the Ducks, LA, Hawks and Sharks, all of whom I'd consider rivals. This coming year I expect us to be a bit more competitive, but more importantly, not give these teams a free pass. Opposing teams should be made to fight for every inch, tooth and nail.

 

[Ventana*]

Flames. For sure.

 

[jigsaw99]

Anyone tanking for McDavid.

the truth

 

[Nuclear Salo]

Hawks, Flames and Kings in that order. Hawks will always be our rivals, while I feel last year's line brawl + Daniel Sedin scare reignited an old flame (no pun intended) and the Kings ... I just don't like them.

And maybe Boston.

 

[vancityluongo]

Ourselves.

But seriously, I could see a re-ignited rivalry with Colorado pretty soon. Think they'll roll back to being a fringe playoff team that should be competing with us in the standings, and have a young group that could potentially (hopefully) be battling it out with our young group for the next few years. Roy behind the bench likely helps too.

But it could also be a basement battle with the rest of Western Canada.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

It will be Calgary again shortly, we are a few years behind them but we'll both be up and coming at around the same time. They have Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett and we have Virtanen, Horvat and Shinkaruk coming up from the farm. Should be good to see the rivalry reignite itself, hopefully Hunter burns them for years to come.

 

[member 202355]

Washington because that's the most random team I can think of.

 

[me2]

Flames. For sure.

Flames games are catch 22. If we lose they move further from McDavid/Eichel and if we win that's nice trolling material

 

[Cupless]

When I think of Canucks rivals, I think back to the old Smythe division: Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, LA and Vancouver. I feel like if those teams were competing against each other this season in a playoff race this season or in an actual playoff series (unlikely, I know) then it would be a little more intense than a random series against Dallas or Arizona, and the playoff series would probably be as intense as any Blackhawks series we've had in recent years. Winnipeg would probably be the exception to that, but with them in the west now I hope that rivalry rebuilds a bit.

 

[Ventana*]

Flames games are catch 22. If we lose they move further from McDavid/Eichel and if we win that's nice trolling material

Yeah, haha. Should be fun.

 

[vannuckles]

Same as every year...........the stripes (Bettman)

 

[kanucks25]

Hawks rivalry has died 'cause we haven't met in the playoffs in 3 years and they're contenders while we're semi rebuilding.

Feels like we don't have a rivalry right now. There's no hate towards any team really. We've been fighting ourselves for the past couple seasons.

 

[vanarchy]

Considering how irrelevant the team currently is the answer is undoubtedly Calgary and Edmonton.

 

[Bougieman]

We're a better team than Calgary or Edmonton, and we're not as good as the California teams or Chicago. So I think it has to be either Arizona or Colorado. That's about how good this team is, so it makes sense. We're a middle of the pack club right now. A playoff-cusp team. Last year was an anomolly. We're going to be better than that this year.

 

[DCantheDDad]

I dont think we'll know who our rivals really are until the season starts. There has been a major turnover in personnel and our massive decline that has cooled off the rivalry with the Hawks. In times like this, we always have the ol' standby of the Flames. It doesn't matter if we are worlds apart in skill, it's always easy to hate them.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

still calgary, always calgary

 

[ItsAllPartOfThePlan]

Hawks rivalry has died 'cause we haven't met in the playoffs in 3 years and they're contenders while we're semi rebuilding.

Feels like we don't have a rivalry right now. There's no hate towards any team really. We've been fighting ourselves for the past couple seasons.

I thought that too, but then in the playoffs, I still found myself rooting against Chicago. I still hate Toews.

 

[iFan]

Last year we were very sad and pathetic against the Ducks, LA, Hawks and Sharks, all of whom I'd consider rivals. This coming year I expect us to be a bit more competitive, but more importantly, not give these teams a free pass. Opposing teams should be made to fight for every inch, tooth and nail.

How are we going to be more competitive when we have a worse roster? This team sucks too badly to compete with Ducks, Kings, Hawks or even the rebuilding Sharks, we're in the Calgary Flames territory.

 

[iFan]

We're a better team than Calgary or Edmonton, and we're not as good as the California teams or Chicago. So I think it has to be either Arizona or Colorado. That's about how good this team is, so it makes sense. We're a middle of the pack club right now. A playoff-cusp team. Last year was an anomolly. We're going to be better than that this year.

We lost Kesler, I'm not sure how we're going to be better? Our roster is pretty sad right now, unless Horvat and Shinkaruk are able to make the jump to the NHL and be top 6 players right away... This team is a bunch of 3rd liners

 

[Horse McHindu]

It will be Calgary again shortly, we are a few years behind them but we'll both be up and coming at around the same time. They have Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett and we have Virtanen, Horvat and Shinkaruk coming up from the farm. Should be good to see the rivalry reignite itself, hopefully Hunter burns them for years to come.

The potential futures of the Flames and Oilers concern me as a Canucks fan. As it stands right now, both teams are extremely likely to finish in the bottom 5 of the league again this season. You have to think that the chances of one or even both of these teams landing McDavid and/or Eichel is going to be extremely high.

I shudder to think what one of those centers forming a 1-2 punch combo with Monahan as the 2nd line center will be like. Even scarier, is the idea of McDavid or Eichel centering Hall and Eberle in Edmonton.

If there is one team right now that could possibly follow in the footsteps of Pittsburgh and Chicago if they got one more franchise player, I think it's Edmonton.