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If you asked Vancouver hockey fans after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season about who they’d be cheering for in the next two playoffs, they’d probably scoff at the absurdity of the question.
After all, the hometown Canucks had just taken the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-finals without their star goaltender. We know, of course, how the story goes from there though.
Last year was disappointing. This year? An outright disaster and a new course set for (hopefully) a rebuild. Now, more than half the team from that playoff run is playing elsewhere in the league (we’ll get to some of them here shortly) and the Canucks are on the outside looking in.
So, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue without them (as they likely will for at least a couple of years), who should Vancouverites hop on the bandwagon for? We’ve got some ideas. Here’s a ranking from bottom to top.
16. Minnesota Wild
Players from B.C.: None
Former Canucks: One (Quinn Hughes)
Why you should: Well. Mileage is going to vary on this one. If you’re still a fan of the Canucks’ former captain and one of the best players to ever play for the team, then the Wild are a good option.
Why you shouldn’t: Like with many breakups, a lot of Canucks fans need space right now. And that makes a lot of sense. Don’t even talk about who gets the cool houseplant (putting him in the Ring of Honour) for at least a couple of months. (More than a few diehard Canucks fans took solace in this). Plus, if the Wild get eliminated early, the Canucks’ first-round pick from the Hughes trade will be higher.
15. Boston Bruins
Players from B.C.: One (Fraser Minten)
Former Canucks: Two (Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov)
Why you should: Kind of a fun team with one of the league’s most entertaining players in David Pastrnak. Plus, Minten is a fun story as a Vancouver kid and Zadorov was a beloved Canuck who many believe was given up on too early.
Why you shouldn’t: Because we (still) don’t do that.
14. Edmonton Oilers
Players from B.C.: 3 (Tristan Jarry, Curtis Lazar, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins)
Former Canucks: Three (Jason Dickinson, Lazar, Vasili Podkolzin)
Why you should: Yes, your opinion on him may vary wildly, but wouldn’t it be just kind of wrong if Connor McDavid didn’t win a Cup in his career? Also, watching Podkolzin have success is both frustrating but also somewhat validating.
Why you shouldn’t: For the record, we are not on the “hate other Canadian teams with a vengeance” hill that some insist on planting their flag on. Yes, (many) other Canadian hockey fans didn’t support the Canucks in 2011. It’s something that we just have to get over at this point. I really don’t think that would have been the case if Vancouver made the dance in 2024 or 2020. So yes, Canadian teams will be high on this list. One, because of the current political moment, and two, because some of them are downright likeable.
That having been said, the Oilers are just a different story after they eliminated the Canucks in 2024 and mostly behaved like asshats will doing so. Sorry, Albertans that live here. You know what you did.
13. Los Angeles Kings
Players from B.C.: One (Taylor Ward)
Former Canucks: One (Andrei Kuzmenko)
Why you should: Will Ferrell likes them, and that’s kind of cool.
Why you shouldn’t: When you’ve had such limited recent success in the playoffs, it’s just hard to cheer for the teams that ended Cup dreams, so the Kings get the Oilers and Bruins treatment for 2012.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning
Players from B.C.: One (Gage Goncalves)
Former Canucks: None
Why you should: There aren’t too many more entertaining teams than the Lightning to watch play. And the Goncalves story—a kid from Mission who has made it big after years in the AHL—is fun.
Why you shouldn’t: It’s basically Florida just without Roberto Luongo.
11. Vegas Golden Knights
Players from B.C.: Three (Adin Hill, Colton Sissons, Shea Theodore)
Former Canucks: Two (Nic Dowd, Ben Hutton)
Why you should: Ben Hutton always seemed like a good dude.
Why you shouldn’t: Self-explanatory.
10. Colorado Avalanche
Players from B.C.: One (Devon Toews)
Former Canucks: None
Why you should: Another extremely fun team to watch that has some Canadian studs that are easy to cheer for.
Why you shouldn’t: The Northwest Division scars run deep. Plus, they won recently.
9. Philadelphia Flyers
Players from B.C.: One (Noah Juulsen)
Former Canucks: One (Juulsen)
Why you should: Underdogs are fun, and the Flyers are one of the biggest underdog stories in the playoffs, as they barely snuck in. Also, rookie Porter Martone is about as fun to watch as any player in the league right now.
Why you shouldn’t: The guy behind the bench might look familiar. And he might also be hard to root for if you’re a Canucks fan.
8. Utah Mammoth
Players from B.C.: One (Alex Kerfoot)
Former Canucks: Two (Ian Cole, Nate Schmidt)
Why you should: Another fun, young team that has a couple ex-Canucks on it to boot. They also have a player that should be on the Canucks right now. If former GM Jim Benning hadn’t executed one of the worst trades in Vancouver history, it’s possible that the team would have drafted Dylan Guenther with the ninth overall pick in 2021. (There was a clear top-nine in that draft, just in case you’re mounting a “Who knows who they would have picked??? defense.)
Why you shouldn’t: I mean, we’ve already seen Vegas fans be gifted a Cup after a few years of existence. Are we really going to do this again with Utah? Pay your respects and wait your 50-plus years, please!
7. Pittsburgh Penguins
Players from B.C.: Two (Benjamin Kindel, Parker Wotherspoon)
Former Canucks: One (Arturs Silovs)
Why you should: Now we’re onto teams that are generally hard to root against, both from a Vancouver perspective and a league-wide one. You have to admit that it would absolutely rock to see Sidney Crosby win another one in his twilight years.
Why you shouldn’t: Jealousy, primarily. The Penguins basically ripped off the Canucks in two separate trades. Getting Arturs Silovs off the Canucks for a fourth-round pick was bad enough. The Marcus Pettersson trade, in which the Canucks gave up the New York Rangers’ pick that became Coquitlam’s own Benjamin Kindel (who scored 35 points in 77 games as a teenager), will likely go down as one of the worst Vancouver trades of the modern era.
6. Anaheim Ducks
Players from B.C.: None
Former Canucks: None
Why you should: A fun, fast team that wasn’t necessarily expected to be here but is about as entertaining as they come. Plus, they’re playing the Oilers.
Why you shouldn’t: Well, their coach is one reason.
5. Carolina Hurricanes
Players from B.C.: One (Logan Stankoven)
Former Canucks: One (Jalen Chatfield)
Why you should: If you want to win your hockey playoff pool, they’re a solid bet. The Canes are always in the mix. Maybe this is finally the year, as the path to the Cup Final looks about as palatable as it gets. Plus, Kamloops kid Stankoven sure is fun to watch.
Why you shouldn’t: It’s just kind of boring and chalky.
4. Dallas Stars
Players from B.C.: One (Jamie Benn)
Former Canucks: Two (Casey Desmith, Tyler Myers)
Why you should: This is really a top four that separates itself from the rest. The Stars have a few enticing factors for Canucks fans, including Myers, who, even though he had some trying times on the ice, was always a standup citizen in Vancouver. There’s also the fact that Tom Gaglardi owns the Stars. Even though he… was born and raised in Vancouver and still lives here. Oh yeah, and he could have been part of Canucks’ ownership, too. What could have been.
Why you shouldn’t: Because you’re still an Aquilini truther somehow.
3. Montreal Canadiens
Players from B.C.: Zero, but Vancouver Giants legend Brendan Gallagher should count.
Former Canucks: None
Why you should: In a tournament with more than its share of exciting teams, the Habs are arguably the most exciting of them all. They are also one the rebuilds that Canucks president Jim Rutherford studied. Some of the lessons, like taking skilled players in the draft when they fall because they are small in stature, are ones that Vancouver would be wise to follow.
Why you shouldn’t: They’re still the most successful franchise in NHL history, even if it’s been awhile.
2. Ottawa Senators
Players from B.C.: None
Former Canucks: None
Why you should: You’re colder than the Glebe in December if you can’t find it in yourself to cheer for Ottawa, which could really use some success. And it would piss off a lot of Toronto fans, which is always a plus. (P.S. we know you miss Travis Green.)
Why you shouldn’t: Brady Tkachuk is a bit of an acquired taste, for sure.
1. Buffalo Sabres
Players from B.C.: Three (Zach Benson, Bowen Byram, Beck Malenstyn)
Former Canucks: Two (Tanner Pearson, Luke Schenn)
Why you should: This is the best bandwagon team… maybe ever? The Sabres have been down on their luck for a long, long time. It would be really nice to see a team buck that and have some real success. Plus, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and the rest of the squad are an exciting bunch.
Why you shouldn’t: If you want the Canucks to be the unquestionable carriers of misery in the NHL. Right now, they share that designation with their expansion cousins in Buffalo. So yeah, if you’re a masochist and want everyone to hurt, then down with Buffalo.