Vancouver Canucks Midseason Review & Odds Update

The Vancouver Canucks enter the NHL’s all-star break with a 16-5-3 record at home and a 27-18-4 record overall. With 58 points, the Canucks enter the break as the current leaders of the Pacific Division.

Vancouver is going off at +2000 on the odds to win the Stanley Cup this season at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Canucks were originally going off at +4000 to win the Cup when the 2019-20 season began.

Given that the Canucks are in first place in the Pacific and are on pace for 97 points, it’s hard not to consider the first half of the season a success. Vancouver hit a wall in November with a  1-5-2 slump that was followed by some middling play over a 6-7 run, but since December 19 the team has found its stride. The Canucks are 11-3 over their last 14 games including a perfect 8-0 record at home.

The team’s young core has been producing plenty of offense with Elias Pettersson leading the way with 21 goals and 30 assists. Brock Boeser has 16 goals an 27 assists, Bo Horvat has 16 goals and 26 assists, and Quinn Hughes has chipped in five goals and 29 assists. J.T. Miller (17 goals and 29 assists) and Tanner Pearson (14 goals and 23 assists) are also having productive seasons, and while they seem like seasoned veterans compared to some of their younger teammates, they are still just 26 years old and 27 years old respectively.

This group is just getting started. Vancouver will come into next season with expectations of making the playoffs, but doing so this season would show that the team is ahead of schedule in its rebuild. While the lead at the all-star break is nice, there isn’t much separation; the Vegas Golden Knights (+300 to win the Pacific Division at online betting sites), Calgary Flames (+300), Edmonton Oilers (+400), and Arizona Coyotes (+400) are all just one point behind Vancouver in the standings.

The NHL odds predict that it will be Edmonton and Arizona left outside of the top three in the Pacific, but this division race will be decided on the ice. Vancouver has established itself as a powerhouse at Rogers Arena; the team’s main focus down the stretch will be improving on its 11-13-1 record on the road.