Will the Canucks Make the Playoffs?

The Vancouver Canucks finished at the bottom of the standings last season by a wide margin, 14 points behind the second-to-last place Chicago Blackhawks.  

Can they turn it around enough to sneak into the 2026-27 postseason? 

Canucks Playoff Odds: Will Vancouver Make the Playoffs? 

Like the Calgary Flames, the Canucks are in wholesale rebuild mode. 

With that, I predict they won’t make the 2026-27 playoffs. Their +1100 hockey odds at the BetMGM sportsbook represent a tiny chance of proving me wrong. 

Manny Malhotra has the responsibility and opportunity to lead the next generation of Canucks players, and the new bench boss has a heck of a project to sink his teeth into. 

Massive questions surround their options in net, with Thatcher Demko finding it almost impossible to avoid the treatment table. 

He played more than 32 games in just one of the previous four seasons, which, unsurprisingly, was the season (2023-24) in which the Canucks won the Pacific Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. 

Kevin Lankinen struggled mightily in the second-busiest season of his career, with a 3.70 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage. 

While the collective defence should shoulder much of the blame for its porosity, Lankinen didn’t cover himself in glory either. 

Lankinen is an excellent backup netminder, but he’s not good enough to take the No. 1 mantle proficiently.

The Canucks were at the bottom of many statistical categories last season, including goals against per game (3.83), penalty kill (71.5%), goals per 60 minutes (1.92), and goals against per 60 minutes (3.08). 

Much of the roster remains unchanged from that abject showing, and while improvement is almost assured, it won’t be enough to challenge for a postseason berth.