2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

50-23-9, 109 Pts. 1st Pacific, 6th Overall

3.40 GF/GP (6th), 2.70 GA/GP (6th), 22.7 PP% (11th), 79.1 PK% (17th)

Top scorer: J.T. Miller. 81 GP. 37-66-103, +32, 40 PPP, 217 Hits, 823 Face-off wins, 19:29 TOI/GP

2024-25 BetMGM Stanley Cup Odds:

Opening: +2000
Current: +2200 (as of August 22, 2024)
Ticket: 2.1%. Handle: 1.1% (as of August 22, 2024)

2023-24 Fantasy Recap

J.T. Miller deserved so much more respect in fantasy, especially in banger leagues. Despite posting consecutive 30-goal seasons with 429 total shots and 372 total hits, Miller wasn't considered among the elite. Well, he proved everyone wrong with a career-high 103 points along with 217 hits and 823 face-off wins, seventh-most in the league.

If there was one thing that really came together for the Canucks last season, it was their offense. Quinn Hughes won the Norris and led the league in points among defensemen, Elias Pettersson saw a slight dip in numbers due to injury but still managed to score 30 goals for the third straight season, and Brock Boeser made good on his long-held promise to be a 40-goal scorer.

Their play pulled up the rest of the roster, too. Filip Hronek was fantastic in the first half of the season playing alongside Hughes, Conor Garland scored 20 goals and notched 200 shots playing alongside Dakota Joshua, who was excellent for goals and hits during his hot streak, and Nils Hoglander scored a career-high 24 goals playing alongside Pettersson.

Tack on an excellent season from a healthy Thatcher Demko, and the Canucks provided some really great options in fantasy. Their success took nearly everybody by surprise, especially after the firing of Bruce Boudreau, who had endeared himself to the fanbase by allowing the Canucks' offensive talent to wander and flourish. But, Rick Tocchet was clearly the right choice for the job, and he managed to make the team better defensively without sacrificing offense.

Not everyone fit, however, with Andrei Kuzmenko getting dealt to the Flames after scoring 74 points in his first season with the Canucks. Kuzmenko was a prime bust candidate due to his unsustainable 27.3 shooting percentage, but the drop-off was steep and Tocchet ended up refusing to play him. It was only until after a move to the Flames did Kuzmenko's scoring (and fantasy value) really perk up again.

2024-25 Fantasy Outlook

The expectations are high and the Canucks won't take anybody by surprise. But at least they've earned some respect with both Miller and Pettersson being ranked in the top 10 on most fantasy lists.

Boeser will continue to score goals, though I do wonder if his shot volume could get better; it'll be hard to score 40 goals again on just 200 shots like he did last season.

The big addition was Jake DeBrusk, stemming the loss of Elias Lindholm, who signed with the Bruins instead. DeBrusk can be a two-way player with good finishing ability, and I emphasize can because his ceiling never seems to reach higher than 60 points. He played with quality players on the Bruins with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but he never put up gaudy numbers and disappeared for long stretches. I don't think moving to the Canucks really improved DeBrusk's fantasy upside all that much, even if he's playing L1 with Miller and Boeser.

THN Vancouver editor Adam Kierszenblat on DeBrusk:

The Canucks had plenty of solid wingers already, which makes the late-summer signing of Daniel Sprong quite interesting. He's got some offensive pop, but how much he plays and where he lines up will depend on how consistent and defensively responsible he can be. Even with very limited ice time with other teams, Sprong had the uncanny ability to produce 20 goals like clockwork. Whether he'll do so with the Canucks when Garland and Hoglander play higher in the lineup remains to be seen.

Behind Hughes and Hronek, who will lead the Canucks defense, lies their biggest question mark. Demko was brilliant last season but he has a lengthy history of injuries and it was rookie Arturs Silovs who ended up tending the nets in the playoffs. With a mysterious knee injury still ailing Demko, the Canucks saw it fit to sign Kevin Lankinen, which hints that their opening night tandem will not include Demko.

Silovs, who performed admirably in the playoffs, suddenly finds himself carrying immense fantasy value as the potential starter on a team near the cusp of becoming a contender.

2024-25 Projected Lineup

(updated Oct. 6, 2024)

Even Strength

Danton Heinen - J.T. Miller - Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk - Elias Pettersson - Daniel Sprong
Nils Hoglander - Aatu Raty - Conor Garland
Nils Aman - Teddy Blueger - Kiefer Sherwood

Quinn Hughes - Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy - Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort - Vincent Desharnais

Arturs Silovs - Kevin Lankinen

ex: Mark Friedman, Noah Juulsen

Injured: Thatcher Demko (knee, no return date set), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer, no return date set), Pius Suter (upper body, day-to-day)

Power Play

DeBrusk - Miller - Boeser - Pettersson - Hughes

Hoglander - Bains - Heinen - Sprong - Hronek

Sleeper: Daniel Sprong, RW

It all depends on ice time and who gets to skate with Pettersson, be it Sprong, Garland or Hoglander. Over the past two seasons, Sprong ranks 11th (!) among forwards in the league at 1.26 goals scored per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (min. 50 GP), trailing Carter Verhaeghe and ranking just ahead of Zach Hyman.

Obviously, the stat can be taken with a grain of salt, but it's proof that Sprong has some serious goal-scoring potential. It remains to be seen how the Canucks' lines will shake out, but they've been looking for quality scoring wingers to pair with Pettersson, and that right wing spot might be Sprong's for the taking. With top-six minutes and some PP2, could we be looking at a 30-goal scorer?

THN Vancouver editor Adam Kierszenblat on Sprong vs. Hoglander and who will score more goals:

Breakout: Arturs Silovs, G

If Demko is out long term — there's no return date set and apparently it's an injury he'll have to play through — then the spotlight's on Silovs. He's a fantasy manager's dream scenario for zero-G strategies; he's relatively unknown, has at least shown a decent track record and plays for a team that can bail him out with their elite offense. Depending on Demko's recovery, we might see Silovs play a minimum of 30-plus games, and that's at least 10-15 wins right there.

It looks like the Canucks have found a gem in Silovs, who's already a national hero in his native Latvia. I doubt very much Lankinen will be a threat to take Silovs' job. My only concern will be Silovs' workload and how he handles it. It's just hard for a rookie goalie to be a starter; just look at the Flyers' Samuel Ersson, who played very well at the beginning of the season but struggled mightily in the second half.

Bounce-back: Filip Hronek, D

Hronek's overall numbers looked good, but note he scored 23 points in the first 24 games of the season paired with Hughes. When Tocchet split them up to balance out their defense, Hronek's numbers dipped considerably. He notched just four points in the final 19 games of the season and ended up being widely available in most leagues on the waiver wire.

Hronek is slated to begin the season with Hughes again, which is great for his fantasy value based on what he did at the start of the previous season. But there will be times where the Canucks will have to split them up, and with a full season with the Canucks under his belt and a long-term contract in place, the hope is Hronek plays with full confidence with or without Hughes. He's the clear No. 2 on the Canucks blue line who will quarterback PP2, and he should bounce back after a woeful finish to the 2023-24 season. If he can maintain a high level of play, Hronek will be worth rostering in most standard leagues.

Bust: Conor Garland, RW

I don't think Garland is a bust per se, but more that I don't see him improving very much from last season's promising numbers. He scored 20 goals and registered 200 shots for the first time in his career, and it was pretty impressive considering he had just five power-play points.

He's an energizer bunny-type of player who's feisty on the forecheck but doesn't possess elite scoring talent. He's never been particularly good on the power play, either, and the Canucks don't play their second unit very often. I think Garland can be a useful fantasy player, but I don't see him getting any better. Leave him on the draft floor and stream him only if you're desperate.

Goalies

As noted above, it's Silovs' net until Demko comes back. Demko's a really risky pick for the 2024-25 season due to his injury history, though admittedly the upside is having a top-five goalie. That's a high-risk, high-reward proposition, and basically anathema for zero-G enthusiasts. Why waste a high pick on an injury-prone goalie at a highly volatile position? But, should Demko fall in drafts, he can be a great roster stash. His fantasy value will depend on his health, and how much value over replacement player will also depend on where you draft him.

I don't see much value in either Lankinen or Jiri Patera, who will likely begin the season as their No. 3 with Demko on the shelf. The Canucks have some quality goalie depth, but I don't see them as anything more than streaming options barring an injury to both Demko and Silovs.

Jason's Top 5 Point Projections

(based on 82 games)

Elias Pettersson, C - 35-58-93
J.T. Miller, C - 35-56-91
Quinn Hughes, D - 14-68-82
Brock Boeser, RW - 36-35-71
Jake DeBrusk, LW - 26-29-55

Yahoo Pre-season Rankings

11. J.T. Miller, C/RW
17. Quinn Hughes, D
22. Elias Pettersson, C/LW
48. Brock Boeser, RW
83. Thatcher Demko, G
147. Filip Hronek, D
149. Jake DeBrusk, LW/RW
153. Dakota Joshua, C/LW
185. Conor Garland, RW
212. Daniel Sprong, RW
320. Kevin Lankinen, G
350. Arturs Silovs, G
419. Nils Hoglander, LW

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