2025-2026 Canucks Bold Predictions: Canucks finish second in the Pacific Division

Depending on who you ask, you may get a different answer on how the Vancouver Canucks will finish in the Pacific Division.

With the addition of Mitch Marner, consensus is that the Vegas Golden Knights will claim the division title. But, as we’ve seen in the past, it’s hard to bet against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers.

While these two teams are the favourites to compete for first in the Pacific, the standings open up quite a bit after that.

Heading into the preseason, the division features a balanced mix of Cup contenders, playoff teams, and bubble playoff teams – not to mention the unfortunate story of the San Jose Sharks, who are virtually locks for lottery contention.

While the Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames could contend for a Wild Card spot, it’s more likely we see these teams selling off assets at the trade deadline.

That leaves the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks as playoff contenders in the division.

The Golden Knights will be the team to beat this season in the Pacific

Of course, for the Canucks to lock down second in the division, they would have to outperform one of the Oilers and Golden Knights. With the addition of Mitch Marner, the Golden Knights are favourites for first in the division.

The addition of a 100-point player in Marner to an already elite forward core puts Vegas well over the top. No matter what line Marner is on, whether it be with Jack Eichel or Mark Stone, he will be given plenty of opportunity to thrive in Vegas for the next eight years — a scary thought for the Pacific Division.

Some may point to the Knights’ goaltending as an area of skepticism, which is fair. Adin Hill is a solid starting goalie, but Akira Schmid only played three games last season. In the event of an injury to Hill, having Schmid at the helm for an extended period of time could harm the Knights.

Luckily for the Knights, they have one of the best defence corps in the league, even with Alex Pietrangelo on the Injured Reserve.

LA hurt themselves this off-season

The Kings are the likely favourites for third in the division, but if everything goes right for the Canucks, they could not only sneak past the Kings but also contend for second in the division.

Going back to last season, the Canucks had an obviously disappointing season, fueled by injuries, locker room drama, trades, and underperforming star players. Meanwhile, the Kings finished second in the division but ultimately fell to a familiar foe in the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers.

For both the Canucks and the Kings, the offseason brought many changes.

The Kings’ major subtractions include Vladislov Gavrikov, Jordan Spence, and David Rittich, who the team subsequently replaced with Anton Forsberg, Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci.

Anyone who watched the Kings last season knows how important Gavrikov was to the Kings. His loss will be felt this season, and the players the Kings signed this offseason to replace him won’t instill much confidence, which will severely dampen their efforts to clinch the top three in the division.

Gavrikov was one of the top defencemen on the Kings, and replacing him with Ceci is a questionable move – not to mention the subtraction of  Spence, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason.

The Kings are a solid team, there’s no doubt about it. They play a great defensive system under Jim Hiller, while also boasting a star-studded offensive lineup that features Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield. However, it’s still fair to be skeptical about the changes the Kings made in the offseason and how they will translate to their on-ice success.

In the long run, despite their system, the Kings’ defensive combinations, combined with the Canucks’ hunger for a bounce-back season, will allow Vancouver to overtake the Kings in the standings.

Can Edmonton outscore their goaltending troubles?

Assuming Edmonton is slotted second in the division, the Canucks will have to hope the Oilers’ defence and goaltending are their downfall.
The Oilers have an elite first pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard.

Bouchard is an elite offensive defenceman, there’s no question about that, but there are still some concerns about his defensive side of the game. Looking back at the Canucks/Oilers series two years ago, we recall many memorable moments from Bouchard, but also some instances of poor defensive coverage and giveaways.

Ekholm’s health is also an area of concern for the Oilers, as the Swedish defenceman only played 65 games last season.

After the top pairing, things are less than ideal for the Oilers. Darnell Nurse has his moments with the Oilers, but overall, he’s a $9 million anchor on the Oilers. Plagued by turnovers and bad penalties, Nurse seems to do more harm than good for the Oilers. Kulak is a solid defenceman, but he doesn’t provide much offence – not that the Oilers need it anyway.

Jake Walman and Ty Emberson are a wild-card pairing. Last season, Walman put up an impressive offensive campaign. While this pairing was successful for the Oilers last season, we’d like to see more of them together before passing judgment on their effectiveness against elite competition.

Vancouver will be hungry for a bounce back season

Meanwhile, for the Canucks, the subtraction of JT Miller and Pius Suter is at the forefront of any conversation surrounding Vancouver. Two of the team’s top forwards last season will no longer be on the team for opening night, raising serious questions about the team’s offensive capabilities.

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the team is whether Elias Pettersson can return to his 100-point form, and if it will be enough to propel the Canucks into the playoffs.

If the Canucks hope to beat expectations, they need their star players to step up. Pettersson needs to return to the level of play we all know he is capable of. Another subpar season won’t cut it. Quinn Hughes will be asked to produce another Norris-calibre season on the backend, and solid goaltending from the duo of Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen; the Canucks stand a chance at finishing second in the division.