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The good-skating Seattle Kraken are going to dominate Vancouver Canucks again and shred Footer’s “speed game” in 2025-26.

Last year, they were their own rivals. I’ll take anyone else for $200, Alex.

Rivalries usually form through playoff matchups or repeated in-division play. This is tough, because obviously this team has not seen a lot of playoffs recently, and now only play division opponents five times a season.

So I will go with Edmonton.

The Canucks most recent playoff opponent was the Oilers, so there is still some memory of that matchup. Also, with a weird schedule, they play each other three times in October, so this is bound to stir up a few things. Toss in Kane and Podkolzin switching jerseys in recent years and the fact that the Canucks want to be spoilers to the Oilers and this is it.

I doubt the Oilers see the Canucks much as rivals though – they would look more to Florida, Calgary, and LA – but there would still be some divisional animosity towards the Canucks.

Still not a classic rivalry like there was in the old Blackhawk days, but this is the best they have.

No one. You said it yourself when you discounted Seattle as a rival because “they’re such a sad sack franchise.” Likewise, no one takes Vancouver seriously as a rival.

In terms of playoff history, homers will try to say Edmonton, ignoring geography (Calgary), or even more relevant playoff history (Florida).

Heck, the past few years, the real Canuck rivalry was within the org: Team Tank vs Team 4 Playoff Games. But even that isn’t a thing with no generational 2026 1OA and the need to keep Quinn happy. So the real answer is no one. Get relevant and then you can talk rivalries.

Going with Nashville. Both teams seem to mirror each other’s success and failures over time. A few heated and entertaining playoff series in their history, separated by some down years and whatever last year was for both teams. This season it’s clear, they are rivals over who can distance themselves from last year the furthest.

The refs will be the Canucks’ biggest rivals, especially when the bigger, heavier teams start smacking and throwing all the small Canuck players on the ice like an old Raggedy Ann doll.

With the way last year went, this team doesn’t deserve a rival. They will have to earn one this year.

You can’t appoint a rival. Not sure the Canucks are big enough to earn one. They just don’t have the stuff to get into those physical battles rivalries are made from.

Hoping this a season the team gets better as the season wears on, holds leads, and closes out games. You don’t get a rival unless you show you aren’t beating yourself.

A lot of fans have lost hope in the Canucks, but don’t count this team out. Fast pace, physical play, and big D-men who are tough to get around this group is hard to play against. With elite goaltending and if EP40 plays up to his standard, we’ll be in great shape. We still need one more big scorer, but our secondary scoring should be solid this year. Old rivalries are heating back up with Dallas, Colorado, Edmonton, and of course, Vegas.

I would say the Oilers, even if the Oilers are supposedly in another echelon and were in the Cup Final two years in a row. And the Canucks … not so much. Canucks seem to have their number in the regular season though, sweeping them two years ago. If Petey and Hogs were on their game during the playoffs that year, they would have taken them out. There also seems to be some heat, Draisaitl’s weird Petey headlock in an inconsequential pre-season game is Exhibit A.

Vegas and Edmonton. Battle for first.

Despite Edmonton maybe not worrying about us too much, the last preseason game had some heat and it was mostly NHL lineups on both sides. A rough game or two (or three) in October and I’m sure the hate will be there for the remainder of the season, and … into the playoffs.

Since I’m seeing predictions that the Kings will be 3rd in the Pacific, with the Ducks and Canucks contesting for that spot, I’ll say the Kings, while wondering if I’m sleeping on the Ducks.

I am going to give the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers first and second place in the Pacific. I am also going to assume Central Division teams will get both wild card spots in the Western Conference. I see the LA Kings and Calgary Flames as the Canucks’ main rivals this season as they’ll likely be fighting Vancouver for third place in the Pacific Division.

Top rivals should be the teams they’re going to need to beat to make the playoffs starting in order with Calgary, Seattle, and LA, and then, to a lesser degree, Anaheim if they start to click. Then there will be the Central teams they would need to beat for a wildcard if they don’t secure a third place finish – Utah, Minnesota, St Louis, and Nashville.

For me, the Canucks’ biggest rival will always be the Calgary Flames, as I have been to many games and there is always animosity with these clubs. To this day, one of the most crazy playoff series was Canucks vs Flames (89-90) when the latter went on to beat the Habs for the Cup. One game went to overtime and it was an absolute slugfest from what I could see on my 19″ TV at the time (lol).

Now going forward. the Iginla battles with Ohlund in the 2004 playoffs were great and when they essentially took a bunch of our former players in Markstrom and Tanev among others, there were some pretty sour Canucks fans over the deal.

Not as popular as back in the day, but these teams always fight, it is guaranteed fight night this Thursday and with the likes of Lombergini and Evander Kane it is sure to be exciting for this fan.

But why do they fight? Because these teams don’t like each other, never have, and never will –  so therein lies the biggest rival for Vancouver.

Go Canucks Go!!!

A rivalry can only exist if two teams are at the same competitive level. And just because we consider another team our rival, does not mean that team feels the same way about our team.

Edmonton is probably the Canucks’ best rival right now. Canucks have a habit of beating them in the regular season, but Edmonton does better in the playoffs.

Calgary was a rival, but they are fast approaching rebuild territory and are no longer a rival.

Seattle probably considers the Canucks a rival, but Canucks don’t necessarily feel the same about them. That will change as Seattle becomes more competitive.

Chicago was a rival, because they kept getting in the way of the Canucks in the playoffs, and it wasn’t until 2011 that the Canucks were able to break through Chicago and make their Stanley Cup run.

Boston became a rival after the 2011 playoffs, because Canucks fans felt cheated by the league and the Bruins for that series and wanted to prove the wrong team won the cup at every subsequent game.