With the NHL Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, and being the furthest team away from the playoff bar, the focus for Vancouver Canucks fans has shifted to the upcoming NHL Draft.

But before we get there, there are still 15 games to play before concluding what’s been an awful 2025-26 season.

Many die-hard fans have had trouble navigating how to handle the rest of the season. On one hand, the fan in them never want to see the Canucks lose, but on the other hand, they understand that it’s probably best for the team to tank to have the best odds of winning the draft lottery and having the choice to select either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg.

So, we’re here to tell you that yes, you can still cheer for wins. Not only will the fans be happier as they cheer the team on, but it’s good for the players to have something to smile about every once in a while, especially when they have young, hungry competitors like Zeev Buium and Tom Willander (among others) on the team.

Why fans can continue to cheer for wins without worrying about them losing their chances at the best lottery odds is because: 1) they currently hold a nine-point gap between them and the 31st-place team (Calgary Flames), and 2) their remaining schedule.

Looking at tankathon.com‘s remaining strength of schedule, you’d find the Canucks actually have the 11th-easiest remaining schedule. However, context is important. Here are their remaining opponents:

Of this group, nine of the Canucks’ 15 games are against teams currently holding a playoff spot, and four games against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, who are firmly in the race for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. At the time of this writing, the Kings are tied with the Seattle Kraken at 71 points for that spot, and the Sharks are just one point behind but with a game in hand.

And something to note about the teams listed is that these games still matter for them. The Lightning are four points behind (with two games in hand) the Buffalo Sabres for top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Avalanche are trying to hold off the streaking Dallas Stars at the top of the Central, while the Wild are trying to catch them. Then, the Pacific Division is the tightest of them all, with just one point separating the Ducks, Oilers, and Golden Knights for the top three positions. And it should go without saying why these games mean something for teams like the Kings and Sharks, who are trying to get above the playoff bar.

While opponents may look at the Canucks as an easy two points on the schedule, since it is so tight in their respective playoff races, they can’t afford to slip up and let these “easy” points get away from them.

That leaves just two games remaining on the schedule – the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames – against teams that are in a similar situation to the Canucks at the bottom of the standings. These games fans could consider “winnable”.

So, using the with only two “winnable” games

Let’s look at the previous two wins and the level of opponent: the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers.

Nashville came into Vancouver and played one of its worst games after being one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the calendar flipped to 2026. While Florida was decimated with injuries, being without Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Eetu Luostarinen, Evan Rodrigues, and Niko Mikkola – on top of their Captain Aleksander Barkov, who’s missed the entire season.

The Canucks did play those games very well, but those teams are 25th and 26th in the NHL standings. All but two of their remaining games are against teams better than the last two they beat.

So, to answer the question in our title: it won’t. The Canucks’ remaining schedule will not affect their lottery odds, as it will be an uphill battle for them to replicate the results they’ve had in their previous two games. Frankly, the Canucks have been playing better lately; there’s always a chance they can play spoiler and win a couple of those games against teams making a playoff push.

And even if they do, the Canucks gave themselves a lot of runway earlier in the season and built up a sizable gap, which allows them to win some games down the stretch, to which fans can cheer for in hopes of a better 2026-27 season.