The verdict is in: Canucks viewed as underdogs ahead of 2024-2025 season

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Cooper Godin
July 7, 2024 (1:14 PM)

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The Vancouver Canucks are being underestimated once again, as they were ahead of the 2023-24 season where they went on to win the Pacific Division.

We're nearly a week into the National Hockey League's free agency window and it appears that most teams have completed their work and will now sit back and enjoy their summer before heading back to their respective cities for training camp.

For the Vancouver Canucks and General Manager Patrik Allvin, it was a productive summer and there still could be moves on the horizon, not big ones by any means, but possible a professional tryout contract (PTO) or two. Here's what the Canucks have done so far:

IN
Jake DeBrusk
Derek Forbort
Vincent Desharnais
Kiefer Sherwood
Jiri Patera
Danton Heinen
Nathan Smith

OUT
Nikita Zadorov
Elias Lindholm
Casey DeSmith
Ian Cole
Sheldon Dries
Matt Irwin
Filip Johansson
Zachary Sawchenko
Aidan McDonough
Nick Cicek

Despite the additions the Canucks made to their roster, especially by bringing in Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, along with shoring up their blueline with Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais, Vancouver is still underdogs in the Pacific Division according to FanDuel.

In their most recent odds to win the Pacific Division, the Canucks come in fourth at +490. Edmonton leads the way at +130, Vegas in second with +310 odds, while Los Angeles comes in third at +450. Seattle (+1500), Calgary (+3500), Anaheim (+12000) and San Jose (+15000) round out the division.

This was the case last year as well, nearly every major betting site and even some reporters and insiders around hockey gave the Canucks no chance of being in the mix to win the Pacific Division, but they did. They proved to everyone not to underestimate the Canucks anymore and there's no doubt they'll use this as fuel once training camp begins.