After finishing second-last in the NHL in 2017, the Vancouver Canucks certainly won’t be a popular pick among fans and prognosticators in 2018.
Obviously, the Canucks aren’t quite the playoff juggernaut they once were. From 2002-2013, they made the playoffs every year with the exceptions of 2006 and 2008. That included seven Northwest Division titles, two Presidents’ Trophies and that memorable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.
But the Canucks haven’t won a playoff series since 2011, and they’ve qualified for the postseason just once in the past four years.
With general manager Jim Benning dealing away Jannik Hansen and Alexandre Burrows at the trade deadline — along with taking the bargain hunting route in free agency — it’s evident that the Canucks aren’t focused making the playoffs in 2018.