After a too-long summer, the Vancouver Canucks are locked on a singular goal as they prepare for training camp.

鈥淣ot making the playoffs would be a disaster for us,鈥� head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters Wednesday.

鈥淏ut to make the playoffs we have to do better and be more consistent over 82 games, not just 56 games or whatever the number was. 鈥� I would call it a failure if we didn鈥檛 succeed in our goals this year.鈥�

The Canucks will be on the ice for training camp in Whistler Thursday before kicking off their pre-season campaign with a split-squad matchup against the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

The team knows securing a post-season berth this season 鈥� its first since the COVID bubble in Edmonton 鈥� will require a better start than the dismal 8-15-2 record that prompted a house cleaning last December.

The results saw the club fire head coach Travis Green, general manager Jim Benning and several other staff.

Boudreau was hired to run the bench for the rest of the campaign and the team went 32-15-10 under his tutelage.

Last in the Pacific Division when Boudreau took over, Vancouver finished five points out of a playoff spot.

鈥淥ur expectation is to be playing in April,鈥� said centre J.T. Miller. 鈥淲e have to hit the ground running. Last year shows how important it is to have a good start.鈥�

Miller, who signed a seven-year, US$56-million extension with Vancouver earlier this month, will be key to the team鈥檚 success.

The 29-year-old led the Canucks in scoring with a career-high 99 points (32 goals, 67 assists) and believes the group has what it takes to make a post-season run.

鈥淎 lot of guys here are sick of not making the playoffs,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淥ur goal is to compete for the Stanley Cup and win the Stanley Cup. There鈥檚 no reason that we can鈥檛 be there and competing for the Stanley Cup at the end of the season.鈥�

Much of last year鈥檚 Canucks team is returning this season, plus notable free agent acquisitions Curtis Lazar, formerly of the Boston Bruins, and ex-Toronto Maple Leaf Ilya Mikheyev.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited about the guys that we added,鈥� said captain Bo Horvat. 鈥淩e-signing (Miller) was a huge step into making us an elite group.鈥�

Horvat, too, is looking for another big season.

The 27-year-old centre had 52 points last season, including a career-high 31 goals, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

He doesn鈥檛 expect his contract status to impact his play on the ice.

鈥淚 can put it aside completely,鈥� Horvat said. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 just focused on how I can make this team better. Eventually it鈥檚 going to come to fruition.鈥�

Like his coach and teammates, Horvat has high expectations for the 2022-23 season.

Reaching them will require the players to have a specific mindset, he said

鈥淲e have to see ourselves as a playoff team,鈥� the captain said. 鈥淚f we do anything less than that, we fail.鈥�

鈥擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press