Canucks’ 2020 Point Total Drops by Five Points

• The Vancouver Canucks had 81 points last season
• The Canucks lost 319 man-games to injury, which was fifth-most
• Vancouver suffered a league-high 25 one-goal losses last season

The Vancouver Canucks regular season point total has dropped from 90.5 to 84.5. That’s a massive jump this early in the offseason, suggesting that many bettors don’t expect this team to be very good in the coming year. Is there value betting the “Over” after the six-point drop or is “Under” – even at this price – still the right play?

2019 Vancouver Canucks Regular Season Point Total

*Odds taken August 7, 2019

Canucks Were Bad in 2018-19…But Injuries Factored

The first place we have to start with the Canucks is acknowledge that this was a bad team last season. They finished with just 81 points, ending the season with just 11 wins in their final 30 games. There’s not a ton they did well as they were 25th in goals per game (2.67) and 13th in goals allowed (3.07).

The key to the season was the development of young players. Elias Pettersson was incredible, becoming just the fifth player in the last century to start his career with 10 goals in 10 games. Bo Horvat elevated his game and goaltender Jacob Markstrom proved he’s the keeper of the future. It’s clear that this is the future of the team with Brock Boeser and Alex Edler.

One thing to note is that injuries really took a toll on this team. They wouldn’t have been a Cup contender if everyone stayed healthy but they lost 319 man-games to injury, which was fifth-most. They would have picked up more points had they been healthier.

Canucks Transitioning From Rebuilding to Contender

It’s hard to put a grade on the Canucks offseason. They clearly overpaid for defenseman Tyler Myers, who is a second-pairing type of guy. While J.T. Miller was a solid addition, they shipped a first-round pick to get him – even as the Tampa Bay Lightning were trying to dump his salary. However, these players will make the team slightly better.

Some of the better decisions included the signing of Michael Ferlund, who will provide solid second-line scoring and physicality.

Bet the Over

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why everyone is so down on this team. I felt like the 90-point mark made it really tough to predict over or under for this team. At 84.5, I like the “Over”.

Keep in mind that this team suffered a league-high 25 one-goal losses last season. If they have better luck with the injuries or fix their power play, which was 22nd in the NHL last season, that alone could get them to 90 points.

But remember that this team is so young. Boeser, Pettersson, Horvat, Quinn Hughers, Troy Stecher are all 25 or younger will get better. They faded as the season went on as they didn’t have secondary scoring. It’s there now with Tanner Pearson, Miller and Ferland. In net, Markstrom is a rock.

I’m not saying that this team will be a Stanley Cup contender but 85 points is not a huge bar for them to get over. It’s merely a four-point improvement and this team is more than capable of that.