The 2025 Vancouver Canucks’ Path To The Playoffs

The Vancouver Canucks are near the halfway point of their regular season, and so far, things haven’t gone as smoothly as the last. In the 2023–24 season, they had a record of 31–11–3 at this point, culminating in an impressive 65 points in 39 games played. While the Canucks are currently undergoing a bit of a skid that has resulted in a 18–12–9 record so far, they’re still playing at a points per game percentage of .577%. For Vancouver to push through the noise and cement a playoff spot earlier rather than later, the team needs to keep a few things in mind.

It’s a tight race for the wild card spots in the Western Conference right now. There are eight teams within a 12-point range that could put themselves at second in the Pacific and third in the Central divisions, or out of the playoff picture completely. Vancouver currently holds the second wild card spot with 45 points, fending off the likes of the Calgary Flames (43), St. Louis Blues (42), and Utah Hockey Club (41). Above them are the Central division’s Dallas Stars (49) and Colorado Avalanche (51), as well as the L.A. Kings (51) and Edmonton Oilers (51), who are second and third in the Pacific respectively.

In the month of January, Vancouver faces the Kings on the 16th, the Oilers on the 18th and 23rd, the Blues on the 27th, and the Stars on the 31st. These five games make up 10 points that the Canucks can snatch from teams in the same divisional hunt that they’re in. Only St. Louis trails Vancouver in the standings so far, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t seize this opportunity.

Prior to their matchup against the Canucks, the Kings have a relatively tough stretch of games, as they take on the Winnipeg Jets on January 10, the Flames the next night, and the Oilers on the 13th. However, they also have three days off before they travel to Vancouver for their game. Edmonton, on the other hand, plays five games in the span of a week, with their match against the Canucks rounding out the stretch of games. Vancouver could take advantage of a tired Oilers team that will have played back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild and Avalanche only two days before. Arguably, this three-game stretch against divisional opponents could be the Canucks’ greatest chance to propel themselves within the standings for the next few months.

St. Louis faces some tough competition before they take on the Canucks on the 27th. They play the Vegas Golden Knights on the 20th and 23rd, as well as the Stars on the 25th. On the other hand, the Stars will have to deal with a bit of travel. They’re currently embarking on a road trip that will keep them on the east coast until January 16, when they hurry back to Dallas from Toronto to take on the Montréal Canadiens. After, they travel to Colorado, and then back to Dallas to play the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, and Vegas. They play the Blues on the second half of a back-to-back before taking on Vegas once more, and then Vancouver.

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Of their divisional and conference-wide competition, Vancouver may have the most difficult schedule. Their current road trip is a doozy, as three of their four upcoming matchups are against teams that are first in their respective divisions. The Toronto Maple Leafs visit Vancouver in what will be the Canucks’ last home game for nearly a month, as well as their last game before the 4 Nations break. After the 4 Nations Faceoff, in which four Canucks will be playing at least four games, the team returns to play a back-to-back against the Golden Knights and Utah.

While Vancouver’s schedule lightens up a little here, this doesn’t mean that they should take their foot off the gas. After the 4 Nations Faceoff, there are still 22 points up for grabs against teams within their division. They play the Anaheim Ducks three times, the Seattle Kraken twice, and the San Jose Sharks once. That’s 12 points that Vancouver could collect against teams currently below them within the standings. Ideally, by the end of the 4 Nations break, the team wouldn’t need to collect points profusely in order to clinch a wild card spot.

One thing to consider alongside the Canucks’ divisional rivals and schedules are the moves that could be made within the next month or two. Fans have seen the punctuality of Canucks management when it comes to making moves. The fact that Vancouver hasn’t made a trade since acquiring Erik Brännström back in October makes this even more intriguing. Of course, there are lots of things currently up in the air in Vancouver, such as injuries to Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, Dakota Joshua, and Thatcher Demko, but it’s still evident that the team will need to make a big move to bolster their lineup and continue contending for playoffs. Right now, January could prove to be the most important month in terms of Vancouver’s playoff chances.

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