The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs are now just a few days away, and the Western Conference has all eight teams locked and loaded. One of which is the Vancouver Canucks, who sit atop the Pacific Division. After having an incredible year-to-year turnaround, the question is now whether or not they have a legitimate chance to hoist Lord Stanley.
Canucks catapult in the offensive rankings
The short answer to the question above is yes, the Canucks absolutely have what it takes to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Of course, it certainly won’t be an easy road, especially in the Western Conference. After what was a season to forget from goaltender Thatcher Demko last year, he has turned things around in a big way this year.
However, it’s been the offensive firepower that has led Vancouver to be one of the most feared teams in the NHL. They spent the entire first half of the season as the highest-scoring team in the league, and while they have since dropped just a bit, they can still keep pace with the likes of Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.
They’ve been able to generate so much offense thanks to being in the top 10 in terms of both net power play percentage and faceoff percentage, which are great metrics for consistent success. Along with four skaters with over 70 points, the Canucks offense is a threat to anyone they’ll face in the postseason.
Vancouver’s trade deadline push & NHL-leading all-stars
Although he’s not one of those four high-scoring skaters, the Canucks made one of the biggest acquisitions shortly before the All-Star break. That would be Elias Lindholm, formerly of the Calgary Flames.
He was once part of the trio of himself, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk that had the Flames as hot as ever two seasons ago. However, Johnny Hockey left to be closer to his hometown and Tkachuk helped lead the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final just a season ago. So, it was time for Lindholm to also find a new home.
Snagging the center just before the break helped solidify the Canucks as the most represented team, as they had a whopping six All-Star skaters. That includes co-captain Quinn Hughes, who led a team alongside his brother, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. As you’d expect, Quinn drafted four of his teammates to make an absolutely stacked roster.
A potential path to the Stanley Cup Final
As mentioned, Vancouver sits atop the Pacific Division, and with 109 points as of April 15, puts them in contention for the 2024 Presidents’ Trophy. As long as they’re able to keep the Edmonton Oilers at bay, that almost certainly sets them up with a matchup against the first Wild Card in the Western Conference, as the Dallas Stars will likely be the #1 overall seed.
That is slated to be the Nashville Predators, who most fans would agree are not nearly the same type of threat as the teams who have earned a top-three spot in their respective divisions. It also doesn’t hurt that the Canucks are 3-0-0 against the Preds this season, winning each of the most recent two matchups by three goals each.
While it’s more difficult to speculate the remaining rounds, it’s worth noting that a collision course with the Edmonton Oilers certainly seems likely. Well, after defeating them by multiple goals within the last week of the regular season, Vancouver officially went 4-0-0 against McDavid and company this season.
Even more impressively, they did so while allowing more than two goals just once and scoring 19 themselves. On the flip side, a matchup with the Avalanche would be less than ideal, as they went 0-2-1 against MacKinnon’s guys this year.
The Canucks also conclude their season against a potential playoff opponent, the Winnipeg Jets, which should be a great matchup to watch out for as they look to build momentum into the playoffs.
Canucks odds to hoist the Stanley Cup
After going through much of Vancouver's season and the fact that they look poised to win the Pacific Division and finish with the second-most points in the entire Western Conference, it may be a surprise to see how the odds are priced.
Despite those facts, they are six teams ahead of them in terms of the odds to win the 2024 Stanley Cup! That’s quite remarkable given the numbers, but with +1000 odds, it is primarily only Wild Card teams behind them. Leading the way are the co-favorites in the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, both listed at +700 odds.
Of course, we already mentioned the Canucks’ success against the Oilers this year, so that should certainly have fans confident in their chances to defy their rather long odds. As far as the Eastern Conference teams ahead of them go, the Vancouver faithful can also keep their hopes up.
Quinn Hughes and company swept both the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers - last year’s Eastern Conference Finals teams - and split 1-1 with the Rangers and Boston Bruins. There is certainly a lot to unpack with the Canucks and the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, but regardless, we look set for a great postseason.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP
