The Vancouver Canucks got a taste of playoff hockey last season, but now they’re hungry for more.

Battling through two rough postseason matchups is an experience the team will benefit from as it enters a new campaign, right winger Brock Boeser said.

“Playoffs are great, and it was great that we had success,” he said during training camp in Penticton, B.C. “And I think it will only help us this year.”

The Canucks finished the 2023-2024 regular season atop the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record and in April Vancouver hosted its first playoff game since 2015.

After knocking off the Nashville Predators in six, the Canucks met the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. Both teams struggled through a seven-game series with Edmonton emerging victorious.

Vancouver made progress last year, but head coach Rick Tocchet has once again challenged his players to improve their play again this season.

“To reach the next plateau, expectations are higher and it will be difficult,” he said. “We know that.”

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It was a busy summer for the Canucks front office as general manager Patrik Allvin tinkered with the free agency lineup.

Instead of signing key acquisitions Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to big deals, Allvin signed left winger Jake DeBrusk to a seven-year contract worth $38.5 million.

Lindholm and Zadorov both landed with DeBrusk’s former team, the Boston Bruins, while Vancouver parted ways with backup goaltender Casey DeSmith, veteran blueliner Ian Cole and depth forwards Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev.

DeBrusk, who had 19 goals and 21 assists for Boston last season, is expected to line up with star center Elias Pettersson and provide the star center with offensive assistance.

It’s a role DeBrusk enjoys.

“Personally, I don’t really care how I do personally in terms of statistics. If we win, then I’m here to help. But by saying that, I feel like I can add some elements to the team . ” he said.

“Obviously there are a lot of great players already, but I think I could fit in quite seamlessly. That’s why I chose to come here.”

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New signings, important injuries

Allvin also signed left wingers Danton Heinen (Boston) and Kiefer Sherwood (Nashville), and Blues defensemen Derek Forbort (Boston) and Vincent Desharnais (Edmonton). He rounded out the additions with sniper Daniel Sprong (Detroit Red Wings) and goaltender Kevin Lankinen (Nashville).

“It’s a lot of speed, a lot of character. The new guys seem to really fit in well. Great guys off the rink too,” Canucks center JT Miller said.

“They are all very eager to learn. They all played on good teams before. So they know the expectations and I think there is a sense of excitement in the group at the moment.”

Vancouver will have to start the season without one big player.

All-star goalkeeper Thatcher Demko announced prior to training camp that he is recovering from a muscle injury in his knee. No date has been set for an expected return.

Tocchet said he plans to have rookie netminder Arturs Silovs in goal when the Canucks open their season against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Latvian gained extensive experience playing under high pressure last spring when he was promoted from Vancouver’s third goalie to starter within days during the playoffs. In 10 postseason appearances, he posted a 5–5 record with an .898 save percentage, a 2.91 goals-against average and a shutout.

“We put (Silovs) in some tough spots and he did a good job for us,” Tocchet said.

Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s best coach last season, while Canucks captain Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. Hughes led all NHL blue liners in scoring with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists).

Missing at home

Canucks fans won’t get the chance to see their team play in Vancouver for almost a month midway through the season.

After hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 8, the Canucks will play a full three and a half weeks before playing another home game against the Anaheim Ducks on March 5.

In between there’s international hockey with the 4 Nations Face Off in Montreal and Boston before Vancouver heads out for a five-game road swing through the Western Conference.

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Kingsley Bailey, operator of Vancouver Ticket Services, says ticket prices at Rogers Arena, home of the Canucks, have increased noticeably since last season following the team’s success in the playoffs.

Bailey said enthusiastic Canucks fans were waiting to see how the team performs this season, but acknowledged that support will wane if the team gets off to a bad start and ticket prices remain high.

“At the end of the day, it won’t really hurt the team that much because they’re still going to make their money with their TV sales and everything else, but it will hurt if there’s no fans in the stands,” he said. CBC News.