The puck is about to drop on the 2019-20 Vancouver Canucks season.



As the club dithers on naming a captain and prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary season, Vancouver’s hockey fans argue ceaselessly online and in bars about players like Sven Baertschi and Tim Schaller. In Vancouver, where hockey fandom is nothing if not fatalistic, it’s a sign October has come.



Hockey season is on the march, and so the time has come to lay down some baseline expectations, heat up some takes and make some bold predictions about how this season will unfold.



As a hat-tip to our pal Sara Civian, I’ve rated the boldness of each prediction on a scale of one to five 🔥 emojis, and in a hat-tip to James Mirtle and Jonas Seigel, I’ve also included a confidence rating.



In the words of the immortal Michael Bolton: Let’s get to it!



No. 1: The Canucks score at least 55 power-play goals



The Canucks will be...