The Vancouver Canucks played their last pre-season game last night, a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The dress rehearsal is now officially over. Next Friday, the stage will be set and the games will matter. The Canucks will welcome the Calgary Flames to town and it is hoped that it will be the start of a great year for hockey in the largest city in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Vancouver. So it is time to predict the Canucks scoring leaders for 2024-25. Will they be right? Maybe or maybe not, but we will give it our best shot.
Canucks Point Leader Prediction: Elias Pettersson with 108
Last season it was J.T. Miller who was the Canucks scoring leader with 103 points. While Miller is good, it seems one other forward can outshine him this season.
That is Elias Pettersson. The Swedish centre is ready for a bounce-back season. That is weird to say because he had 89 points last season. That was Pettersson’s second-best point total.
But given the context of last season, it wasn’t up to his standards. After doing well in the first half of 2023-24, Pettersson struggled in the second half, which continued in the playoffs where he only managed six points in 13 games.
It turns out he was dealing with tendinitis in his knee since January and played the rest of the season with it. But Pettersson feels ready to go and has set high expectations for the upcoming season. With the pressure to bounce back plus the first year of an eight-year contract with an $11.6 million AAV kicking in, there is a lot of pressure on the 25-year-old.
“There’s always expectation,” said Pettersson to Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet on September 18. “I’m the one who always puts the biggest expectation on myself, and that hasn’t changed. But at the end of the day, it comes down to: What can I do? I’ve been trying to prepare as best as possible and will try to be the best player I can be for every game. I’m just looking forward to this season and we’ll go from there.”
When Pettersson is healthy, he is a game-changer and easily one of the best forwards in the NHL. Not only can he score but he is an excellent playmaker and defensive player.
It seems like an obvious pick to predict Pettersson leading the team in points. His career-high is 102, which he set in 2022-23. Granted, 108 points seem lofty but at the same time reasonable. It will also be dependent on him playing nearly a full schedule. It seems fans have forgotten how good Pettersson is when he is healthy and confident. It’s time for him to remind them who he really is.
Other candidates to lead the Canucks in points are J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. The captain put up 92 points last season and it certainly is not a reach that he could possibly lead the time in points.
Canucks Scoring Leader Prediction Brock Boeser: 36 goals
It is going to be a big year for Brock Boeser but can he top last season?
The Burnsville, Minnesota native scored 40 goals last season, which was a career-high. However, he is recovering from a blood clot sustained before Game 7 of the second round against the Edmonton Oilers.
But Boeser is looking to come back with more firepower. It would be a tough ask for him to score 40 goals again. There is a possibility he does it. However, it is more possible he hits at least 30.
Depending on his health, Boeser looks primed to be one of the Canucks biggest difference-makers this season. He will definetly start the season with confidence after missing Game 7 and scoring 40 last season.
Pettersson and Miller could challenge Boeser for the goal scoring crown but there is another. New signing Jake DeBrusk is also a candidate. He looks poised for a big season after seven seasons with the Boston Bruins.
Total Team Point Prediction: 104 Good for Second Place in the Pacific Division
The Canucks scoring leaders have been predicted but the team as a whole?
Vancouver won the Pacific Division with 108 points last season. But can they do it again?
The Edmonton Oilers are led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They are favoured to win the division, especially after adding Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner to their top six.
The Vegas Golden Knights lost key players in Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson in the summer but will hope Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl can bring them good fortune in their first full seasons.
The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames will be bottom-feeders this season. However, the Seattle Kraken and Los Angeles Kings will both battle for the wildcard spot. The Kraken bolstered their lineup by adding Stanley Cup Champion Brandon Montour to their backend and Stephenson to their forward core. While the Kings will miss Drew Doughty to start the season, they hope the likes of Quinton Byfield can take the next step and lead the charge.
For the Canucks, winning the division could be decided on how soon Demko returns and if he can get back to form right away.
It will be a fierce battle between the Canucks and the Oilers for the Pacific Division crowd, just like their seven games second-round series last spring. Vancouver can challenge for it but Edmonton’s star power and firepower just give them the edge.
104 points seem reasonable. The Canucks have the talent to reach that mark but we’ll see next April if they reach that level.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid – USA Today SPORTS
