NHL Predictions: Why the Vancouver Canucks Are Still the Favorites Out West

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Last year the Vancouver Canucks came within one game of returning the Stanley Cup to Canadian soil, but were foiled by the Boston Bruins.

There's no doubt that the way their season ended last year still leaves a bitter taste in their mouth, and has made this team hungry to get back to within grasp of the Cup.

The offseason usually brings changes to teams and their rosters, and the Canucks are no different.

Still, Vancouver has remained strong enough as a team to still be considered the favorites in the Western Conference, and here is why.

The Sedins

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Say whatever you want about these two guys, they are still the most dynamic one-two punch in the NHL.

These guys have led the NHL in scoring each of the past two seasons, and Daniel could make a very strong case that he should have won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP.

Yes, both of these guys do a lot of diving to draw penalties, but they are also two of the most exciting scorers in this league. As long as they are playing together, they will keep making opponents lose sleep at night.

Kept the Important Pieces

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Vancouver had a lot of question marks going into free agency and were able to answer pretty much all of them.

The Canucks managed to keep two of their most important puzzle pieces from last year's cup team, Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo.

Both are solid defensemen in their own zone, that are able to pitch in on the offensive side of the puck.

Bieksa even took a home team discount to stick with Vancouver after his standout performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He easily could have broken Vancouver's bank, but he wanted to stay on the team and made it easy for them to keep him.

The Canucks only lost two real name players in Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres. Their chemistry should be as good as ever.

Goaltending

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The Vancouver Canucks had the most dominant goaltending duo in the NHL last year with Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider.

The two shared the Jennings Trophy last season, awarded to the goalie(s) on the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season.

Though a lot of rumors surround Cory Schneider going to a team that needs a goalie–none have come to fruition.

These two guys have great defensive support and are incredibly talented in their own rights. With these guys in their crease, Vancouver should be expected to do good things.

Ryan Kesler

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The reigning Selke Award winner is another reason the Canucks still have to be the favorites.

True that Kesler is out with a hip injury at the moment, but you know the Cancuks will benefit from things immediately.

Not often will a guy score 40 goals and also win the award for best defensive forward.

Kesler is a huge reason for the past and future success of the Vancouver Canucks.

Depth

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Vancouver is an incredibly deep team that can find all kinds of scoring and defense from pretty much any line and defensive pairing.

If a couple of players are injured, the Canucks have a lot of solid players in the wings that know exactly what they need to do when they step into the lineup.

One player who stepped up big for Vancouver during the Stanley Cup Playoffs was Andrew Alberts. When his team needed him to step up he was able to do it for them.