2025-26 NHL betting preview, picks: The Vancouver Canucks are a sleeper to win Stanley Cup
It seems like an oxymoron to call the Vancouver Canucks a sleeper.The only team in a hockey-mad city, the Canucks attract an incredible amount of media attention compared to most teams in the NHL.With so much noise around the Canucks, it’s hard for them to fly under the radar. When things are going well in Vancouver, the bandwagon fills up in a hurry.
When things head south, the pitchforks and torches come out.We saw both sides of this coin in the past two seasons. The Canucks were terrific in 2023-24, winning the Pacific Division and earning their head coach at the time, Rick Tocchet, the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s best coach.Everything seemed in place for another big season in 2024-25, but things got bizarre real fast in Hollywood North.J.T.Miller took a leave of absence, then was traded to the Rangers, due to irreconcilable differences with fellow star forward Elias Pettersson, who saw his production dip to 45 points after posting totals of 102 and 89 in the two previous seasons.The soap opera surrounding Miller and Pettersson led to other issues, which in turn negatively impacted Vancouver’s performance.
The Canucks missed the playoffs, and their 90 points were 19 fewer than they tallied in 2023-24.Things turned even more dour when Tocchet chose not to return and instead took a job with the Flyers.Then came the rumors surrounding captain and face-of-the-franchise Quinn Hughes, who is being connected with a move to New Jersey to play with his two brothers.With Miller and Tocchet out, and Hughes’ heart rumored to be in New Jersey, it’s easy to see why the Canucks are unfancied in the betting market ahead of the new campaign.Sitting as high as 80/1 (BetRivers) to win the Stanley Cup, the Canucks went from division winner to also-ran in just over a calendar year.And while most hockey pundits would advise you to stay away from this circus, bettors have to be willing to explore opportunities to buy low.And this could be an excellent one.For all t...