The Vancouver Canucks` disappointing season has concluded.
After the Minnesota Wild`s overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks, the Canucks are mathematically unable to reach the playoffs.
This outcome is far from what the organization envisioned at the start of the season when Stanley Cup contention was the goal. Their 36-29-13 record ultimately fell short of securing a postseason berth.
In the 2023-24 season, the Canucks achieved their best performance in a decade, winning the Pacific Division, advancing past the first round of the playoffs, and pushing the Oilers, who later reached the Stanley Cup Final, to a seven-game series.
This year`s struggles cannot be solely attributed to widespread poor play, although some key players experienced less productive seasons. The Canucks were significantly impacted by injuries to crucial players, including starting goalie Thatcher Demko, captain and Norris Trophy recipient Quinn Hughes, top center Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Dakota Joshua, rarely having a fully healthy lineup.
Ultimately, a combination of injuries, underperformance from key players, and off-ice distractions led to the Canucks being the first, and possibly only, Canadian team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this season.
The Calgary Flames are now the only remaining contender for one of the two wild-card spots, currently held by the Wild and the Blues.
Tristan Blackwood