Can the Canucks Make a Push for the Playoffs?

The Vancouver Canucks have been around for about 50 years; however, they have managed to win zero Stanley Cups. Although they have made the playoffs numerous times, it’s never led to them getting their hands on hockey’s biggest prize. We take a look at whether they are likely to make the playoffs this season and if they can go all the way.

Making the Playoffs 

At the start of the season, it probably makes sense to bet against the Canucks making the playoffs. They have traditionally been one of the weaker teams and according to WSN.com, the odds are against them. However, this season might be a little bit different. The Canucks have switched things up and are looking to be in better shape.The main reason for this is that the Pacific division is relatively tight for once. There aren’t too many points splitting up the various teams. This means that a solid winning run can take outside bets for the playoffs right into the running. This is something that the Canucks are looking to carry out, especially as their new head coach has a lot of experience in guiding teams to the playoffs.

While COVID-19 is still ravaging the NHL, the Canucks have decided to move to improve their team. They replaced Travis Green with Bruce Boudreau as head coach. This was widely seen as a positive move as Green had been an unparalleled disappointment in Vancouver, only taking the Canucks to the playoffs once in his time as head coach. Of course, many feel that Green has a lot of potential, but as he is just taking his first steps as a head coach, it might have been too large a job for him.Boudreau has an excellent record. In fact, in his 13-year career as a head coach, he has made the playoffs 10 times. This means that he steps into Vancouver with a positive aura about him. His past record speaks for itself in relation to the Canucks as well. He took over a team in a similar position to the Canucks, the Washington Capitals, and managed to turn things around for them. This ability to get the most out of talented teams and take them to another level is what prompted the Canucks' management to make the move.

Instant Impact 

This move had a huge impact on the performance of the team right away. When you compare the Canucks in April to now, you can already see a big difference. However, what really got Vancouverites dreaming of the playoffs was a seven-match winning streak that Boudreau oversaw. It demonstrated a couple of things to fans.First, Boudreau was capable of making an instant impact on the team’s performance. Second, it appears that the players had stopped performing for the previous coach. Perhaps they didn’t believe in his methods, or perhaps it’s just that Boudreau is simply a better head coach. Whatever the reasons, it’s obvious that the players are performing to a much higher standard than they were before.

This is something that Canucks fans will have to take note of right away. The Stanley Cup is still likely to be a step too far for the Canucks. They have undoubtedly improved a great deal since Boudreau came in as head coach; however, they are still behind a number of other teams in the league standings. There is a lot of quality on the team, but there are issues that need to be addressed.The most obvious one is the defence. The Canucks have improved offensively since Boudreau took over, but they still look a little bit weak in defence. They will need to improve there if they want to compete for the Stanley Cup, or even make the finals.This is why the Stanley Cup is likely to be a bridge too far for the Canucks this year. With some smart additions and the benefit of better coaching, they could compete within the next few years, but at this point, it’s likely too late for them to get up to the standard needed to walk away with hockey’s biggest prize.