On Wednesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal made their predictions for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season. Here’s a breakdown of their predictions for the Vancouver Canucks and their thoughts on league-wide awards.
Canucks Predictions
Harm
– Leading goal scorer: Elias Pettersson
– Leading point scorer: Elias Pettersson
– Season result: 101 points – 2nd in the Pacific Division
Quads
– Leading goal scorer: Brock Boeser
– Leading point scorer: Elias Pettersson
– Season result: 108 points – 1st in the Pacific Division
Harm’s Breakdown:
“I’m believing in an Elias Pettersson bounce back,” Harm said. “He’s got Jake DeBrusk on his line, which will help him a ton. I’m hopeful he’ll be healthier, and I’m expecting a 100-point campaign from him, leading the team in goals. J.T. Miller had the highest PDO in the NHL last year—while I still expect him to be a key engine for the team and produce around 90 points, I think Pettersson will pop off and re-emerge as a great player.”
Regarding the team’s overall performance, he added, “They got 109 points last year, so I’m predicting a slight drop-off because of the uncertainty around Demko. Plus, so many things went right for them last season—most of their skaters stayed healthy, and several players had career years. I don’t expect everything to go perfectly again. With that said, the other Pacific Division teams are relatively weak. I’m not a huge believer in Vegas right now. L.A. is in a precarious position with the Doughty injury, Seattle is a fringe wildcard team, and then you have some bottom dwellers.”
League Predictions
Harm & Quads’ Yearly Award Picks
Hart Trophy: Connor McDavid
“McDavid played through an injury at the start of last season, so it wasn’t quite the dominant year we’re used to from him. 139 points is considered a down season for him—we know what he’s capable of, and he’s still the best player in the league.”
Norris Trophy: Cale Makar
“Makar wasn’t fully healthy last season and missed time with injuries, but I believe he’s the best defenseman in the NHL and will bounce back.”
Calder Trophy: Matvei Michkov
“Michkov is an electrifying talent. Philly needs a player like him, and the power play is going to run through him. He’ll get a ton of top-six minutes, and compared to the rest of the Calder class, there aren’t many rookies who will get that level of offensive responsibility. He also has more help than Macklin Celebrini.”
Selke Trophy: Nico Hischier
“I’m buying into the Devils rebounding this season. Hischier finished second in Selke voting in 2023, and Barkov got his due last year. Whether it’s right or not, there’s often a tendency among voters to give the new guy some love if the race is close. I think this is Hischier’s year.”
Vezina Trophy:
Harm- Igor Shesterkin.
Quads- Juuse Saros
“I just believe Shesterkin is the best goalie in the NHL,” Harman said frankly.
The only difference between the guy’s award predictions was the Vezina Trophy. Instead of Shesterkin, Quads picked Juuse Saros to take home the award.
“I think Saros will emerge this year,” he explained. “There’s going to be a better team in front of him, and everyone in Nashville already knows how good he is. Once a good team gets in front of him, the rest of the league is going to find out. You always see better numbers from a goalie when they have a solid team in front.”
You can watch the full replay of the show below:
Sponsored by bet365
