It’s September and that means school is back but also, Vancouver Canucks hockey. Well, not yet but it is getting closer and will be here soon. After winning the Pacific Division and getting knocked out of the second round by the Edmonton Oilers last season, the Canucks will look to reach greater heights in 2024-25. There are many questions surrounding the roster, particularly surrounding the goaltender situation. Still, Canucks fans are looking forward to seeing the likes of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes play again. Here are some Vancouver Canucks games to look forward to on the schedule in 2024-25.
October 9: The Season begins…for Once at Home!
In the past, the Canucks would open their season in Edmonton. Why? Maybe there was a rule that Vancouver Canucks games every season should begin there. But in all seriousness, that is not the case this season. For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Canucks will start their season at Rogers Arena. Their opening opponent that season was the Calgary Flames. On October 9, their opponent will once again be the Flames. The Flames, of course, are a weaker team compared to years past but have the likes of Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Rasmus Andersson, and former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko.
October 17 and December 12: Taking on the Champs
The Florida Panthers and Canucks have had many players play for both teams over the years. They include Roberto Luongo, Pavel Bure, Ed Jovanovski, David Booth, and more recently, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Panthers, of course, are the defending Stanley Cup champions, and OEL and Luongo have their names engraved on the Cup. Vancouver won both games last season and will look to tame the champions.
As part of their four-game October road trip, (there must be also some rule that the Canucks must go on a long road trip in October), the Canucks will visit Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov‘s Panthers on October 17. The Cats come to town on December 12. That is the fourth game of a six-game homestand.
November 9: First Chance at Playoff Revenge
On this date, the Canucks will face the Edmonton Oilers for the first time since their intense seven-game, second-round series last spring. With Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson added to a lineup that already includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman, the Oilers looked primed for another strong season. Despite recently losing Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets, the Oilers are still poised to repeat and build off last year’s success.
The Canucks and Oilers rivalry was renewed last spring and with both teams contending for the Pacific Division crowd, it will only get more intense. For some reason, the Canucks only face the Oilers three times this season. After November 9, Edmonton comes back to town on January 18, and Vancouver visits them on January 23. Furthermore, defenceman Vincent Desharnais will face his former team as will current Oilers forward and former Canucks first-round pick, Vasily Podkolzin.
November 17: Smashing against Smashville
The Vancouver Canucks games against the Nashville Predators in the first round last spring were also pretty grueling. November 17 will be the first time these two teams will face since then.
The Predators have bulked up in the offseason with a bunch of veterans signed in free agency. One could argue that adding Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei made them a better team than the one Vancouver faced in the playoffs. Juuse Saros, Filip Forsberg, Stamkos, and the Predators will visit Rogers Arena on November 17. It is also a big day for new Canuck Kiefer Sherwood. The former Predator signed a two-year deal with Vancouver in July and will face his former team for the first time. Sherwood was a thorn in the side for the Canucks in the playoffs and now he will look to be a thorn in the side for the Predators with the Canucks. The Canucks will also face the Predators on January 3, once again in Vancouver. They face them in Nashville, Tennessee on January 29, 2025.
November 26 and December 14: Familiar Faces against Boston
Speaking of players facing their former teams, these two Canucks games against the Boston Bruins will have lots of them. On November 26, Jake DeBrusk and Derek Forbort make their return to TD Garden as members of the Canucks. DeBrusk was the biggest free agent signing of the Canucks as he signed a seven-year deal. Moreover, he had spent the first seven years of his career with Boston.
Additionally, two more familiar faces were integral to the Canucks success last season are now in Bruins colours. Both Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm were midseason acquisitions but took big paydays with Boston. They will face Vancouver for the first time on November 26 and on December 14, will make their return to Rogers Arena. They probably will get a warm reception.
Of course, Canucks and Bruins games have extra significance as many Vancouver fans are still bitter over the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Only one member of that series for both teams remains: Brad Marchand. He, of course, is one of the most hated players by Canucks fans and fans around the league. Expect Marchand to get a ton of boos every time he touches the puck on December 14.
December 18, February 23, March 16: Facing the Utah Hockey Club
These three Canucks games will have them facing an unfamiliar opponent. Well, not quite. The Canucks have faced the players before, but this team is under a new identity. Last April, the Arizona Coyotes were sold to Utah Jazz Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith and the team was relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah. The team will be known as Utah Hockey Club for the upcoming season and will have a name starting in 2025-26.
Vancouver will make their first ever visit to Salt Lake City on December 18. They will visit there again on February 23 and Utah will make their first ever visit to Rogers Arena on March 16. One familiar face is Ian Cole, who spent the 2023-24 season with Vancouver. He along with Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Sean Durzi, and Kevin Stenlund make up a solid defensive core for Utah.
January 11 and February 8: Vancouver Shows their Hatred of Toronto
While not officially a rivalry, Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs games are ones to watch. That is mainly because many Canucks fans have a strong disdain for the Leafs. Why? There are many reasons. Leafs fans are one, and the so-called: “Eastern bias” the hockey media have for the Leafs is another.
In recent years, the games between Vancouver and Toronto were entertaining. Last season, the Leafs beat the Canucks 5-2 at Scotiabank Arena and Vancouver got their revenge at Rogers Arena with a 6-4 win.
The Canucks visit “The Six” on January 11 and the Leafs visit Vancouver on February 8. When the Leafs come to town, it is a big deal. The tickets are expensive and pretty much sold out. The game is usually an early 4 PM start and on Hockey Night in Canada. Leafs fans from Vancouver, Vancouver Island, other parts of BC, and even Washington State and Alaska come out in droves to turn Rogers Arena into a Leafs home game.
Due to that, Canucks and Leafs fans battle it out with their chants in the stands to cause a raucous atmosphere. It would be even sweeter to send the Leafs fans home with disappointment with a Canucks win.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
