The Vancouver Canucks saw a marked improvement after a mid-season coaching change last year. Can they sustain it into the 22/23 season?
2021-2022 Season Performance
Regular Season
The Canucks stumbled through the first quarter of the season in 21/22 before a coaching change set them on a new course. Bringing in Bruce Boudreau seemed to light a fire and the Canucks went on a run that got them back into the playoff chase. They finished with some rather unremarkable key metrics, aside from their goaltending, which was outstanding. Ultimately, their recovery wasn’t quite good enough to see them find their way into the postseason.
Looking Ahead to 2022-2023
Offseason Moves
The Canucks offseason was relatively quiet, suggesting that they think last season’s post-coaching change performance is repeatable. One notable addition they did make was signing Ilya Mikheyev to a 4 year deal. Mikheyev brings a strong two-way impact to Vancouver and should fit into the top six. His $4.74M cap hit looks like great value for the former Maple Leaf.
The biggest news out of Vancouver may have been who did not leave. After months of trade speculation, the Canucks agreed to a long term extension with J.T. Miller that will kick in for the 23/24 season. Miller can certainly help the Canucks compete in the short term, as his project impact for the upcoming season is a top six forward. However, with the deal extending into his mid-30s, that may not be the case through the entire contract.
22/23 Roster
The Canucks are a very average team. With no major strengths, yet also no major weaknesses, they look like a team destined to be on the playoff bubble.
Pacific Division Landscape
The Pacific Division looks more crowded than it did last season, which may be bad news for the Canucks. Both the Oilers and Flames look to be among the division’s best and a healthy Golden Knights team should also have better fortunes than last season. The Canucks look like the most likely challenger to break into the top three for a divisional playoff berth.
Long Term Outlook
The Canucks long term outlook appears positive. Their spending efficiency isn’t the best in the league, but it’s not poor enough to cause big concern. They also have primarily players in their prime under longer term contracts, so their impact can be expected to be relatively stable.
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Historical player data from Natural Stat Trick. Contract data from CapFriendly.
