The Vancouver Canucks start might have been on the outside looking in on the playoffs in 2021-22, but this upcoming year the team is hoping to get back into the postseason and contend for a championship.
After a season where the Canucks just missed out on the playoffs, getting a fresh start has to feel good for the Canucks. This year there is no Travis Green coming between the Canucks and winning, so let’s dive in with our fan guide.
The Vancouver Canucks’ Fan Guide To The 2022-23 NHL Season
To get an understanding of where the Canucks are at heading into the season, there are a few things we need to go over from last year.
2021-22 Season Stats:
Record: 40-30-12 (92 Points)
Goal Leader: J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson (32 Goals)
Point Leader: J.T. Miller (99 Points)
Record under Bruce Boudreau: 32-15-10
Record under Travis Green: 8-15-2
2021-22 Recap:
The Vancouver Canucks had a coaching change that drastically shook the team when the team fired Travis Green after going 8-15-2 in his first 25 games. While many thought that the coaching change wouldn’t be enough to make this team a playoff hopeful, their 32-15-10 record under Beaudreau shows, they could play in big hockey games.
In his first full season with the Canucks, Conor Garland was fifth on the team in points with 52. While the season ended outside of the playoffs, the team did just miss by five points.
2022-23 Preview:
The 2022-23 NHL season is just a few weeks away, and the Canucks must be ready to continue where they left off last season. Because of how well Boudreau did last season, the team did not make any major changes. Now they have the playoffs on their mind entering the season.
Their moves this offseason brought in Curtis Lazar and Ilya Mikheyev during free agency, and both are expected to be big parts of the team’s bottom sicks. On paper, based off of how things went last season, this is a good team. However, considering how good some players were last year, we have to expect some kind of regression this season.
The Canucks defense also could use some more help considering they are still heavily relying on Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Quinn Hughes has not broken out into a superstar just yet.
Leadership:
General Manager: Patrik Allvin
Coach: Bruce Boudreau
Captain: Bo Horvat
The big thing here leadership-wise is whether or not the in-season coaching change bump that occurred when Boudreau became head coach will be sustainable this season. If the Canucks can keep the spark they had under Boudreau last season they should be fine. If not this is going to be a long season.
Key Additions:
Curtis Lazar, Ilya Mikheyev, Andrei Kuzmenko and extending J.T. Miller through 2029-30.
Getting J.T. Miller extended after this season is a big win for the Canucks. They keep one of their guys for the future and while the contract might not be great near the end of the deal, he is a great player to have in the locker room and on the ice now.
Three Games On The Schedule:
Oct. 12: At Edmonton
The first game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers will be a must-see game for fans. Edmonton is hot off a run to the Stanely Cup Conference Final and this game is a great opportunity for the Canucks to show what they are made of. I like this matchup because it is a division rival and it is the first game of the season making for a must-watch game for the Canucks to get their first two points.
Nov. 23: At Colorado
I mean, the opportunity to see the defending Stanley Cup Champs and see where the team matches up is a great chance for this team. The Canucks play Colorado for the first time next season in November. By then hopefully, the team has been playing some of their all-time best hockey up to that point.
Final Season Stretch
The next game is actually a set of games to end the season. From March 31 through the end of the season on April 13 the Canucks play eight regular season games with 16 points on the line. Of those eight games, six of them come against divisional rivals while the other two are against the Blackhawks and Coyotes. Getting these eight wins to end the season will be a big last-second push for the playoffs.
2023 Draft Picks:
The Vancouver Canucks drafted six players at the 2022 NHL draft including first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki; the right wing was the top player drafted for the franchise and the entire draft class has a lot of talent that could make an impact in the NHL down the line.
This upcoming season the Canucks have the following picks:
2023 First Round Pick
2023 Second Round Pick
2023 Third Round Pick
2023 Fourth Round Pick
2023 Fourth Round Pick – New York Rangers
2023 Fifth Round Pick
2023 Sixth Round Pick
Outlook and Predictions:
This season is going to be an interesting one for Canucks fans. They should be entering the season with hope, but now the question that remains is one that they won’t know the answer to till the end of the season. The question is can this team really pick up where they left off and compete for a cup?
One final reminder before we get to a few predictions. If you are interested in writing on the Canucks and any other teams this season, apply today to join our group! We have open contributor positions and would love to hear from you!
Want your voice heard? Join the Puck Prose team!
As for some predictions for the season, I believe the Canucks are well positioned to get back into the playoffs this upcoming year. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are both going to take giant leaps forward, and Thatcher Demko is going to be a great goaltender for the team again.
The Canucks season begins on Oct. 12 against the Edmonton Oilers. What a way to start the regular season than against a division rival in Edmonton.