Canucks’ first-round pick a valuable trade asset in rebound plan
The Canucks’ first-round pick is one of the most valuable assets they can afford to trade, even if the overall quality of this year’s draft is considered below average.
VANCOUVER — Through good times and bad, upheaval and serenity, through plot twists and crises and what sometimes feels like limitless disappointment, the Vancouver Canucks can at least guarantee us the sturdy certainty of losing the draft lottery.
Or at least the National Hockey League (or hockey gods) can guarantee us that.
With the New York Islanders and Utah Hockey Club massive winners on Monday night, moving up maximum places in June’s draft order, the Canucks remain 0-for-forever in the selection sweepstakes that the NHL has used since 1995 to determine who picks when in the opening round.
The Canucks are one of only five NHL franchises so snubbed — six if you count the Vegas Golden Knights, which we don’t because the only season the expansion team missed the playoffs, in 2022, it didn’t have a first-round pick and wasn’t in the draft lottery.
After missing the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 seasons, the Canucks retained the 15th selection for this year’s draft. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be using it.
Unlike the previous season when Vancouver loaded up for a playoff run amid their 109-point campaign, general manager Patrik Allvin retained his first-round pick through this year’s trade deadline due to the Canucks’ inconsistency, injuries and uncertain outcome.
But planning for a rebound in the standings next season, driven partly by the organizational urgency to provide a winning environment so that superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes might wish to re-sign next summer, the Canucks still seem likely to trade the 15th pick for scoring help before the June 27 draft in Los Angeles.
“I think those are the options that I’m discussing with Jim,” Allvin said Monday, referring to hockey-operations president Jim Rutherford. “Based on where some of the conversations go with other teams. . . if we feel that we could impact our team in certain boxes right away, then I definitely think that that would be something we have more in-depth conversations about.”
Rutherford said at last month’s season-ending press conference that the Canucks will acquire a top-six centre this summer. That priority didn’t change with the decision last week of head coach Rick Tocchet to exercise his free agency and seek a job elsewhere.
Allvin was travelling to the under-18 world tournament in Texas last Tuesday when Tocchet informed Rutherford that he would not be back.
“I was very disappointed that that was the decision,” Allvin told Sportsnet. “But again, my respect and my working relationship with Rick Tocchet was excellent. With changes, you’ve got to embrace them. I think in this case, it’s a great opportunity to turn the page and move forward. I don’t want to take away anything from what Rick Tocchet did here and how well-liked he was, but I think for us, it’s turning the page and moving forward. I think with challenges comes a great opportunity as well.
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“Part of my job as a general manager is to always have a feel for what’s out there if something happens. So I don’t envision us having a long list (of coaching candidates). Talking to my staff and gathering information with what’s available, and talking to agents, I have a fairly good understanding about the market and prioritizing interesting candidates and going through the interview process. Will I have a quick decision? I think it’s a little bit too early to know about that. I’ve just started to do the interviews here, so hopefully I’ll know more in the next couple of weeks.”
Rutherford said last week that hiring a new head coach is the biggest decision management faces this off-season, but there are many other calls to make regarding the roster.
The Canucks’ first-round pick is one of the most valuable assets they can afford to trade, even if the overall quality of this year’s draft is considered below average.
There will still be players selected in the middle of the first round who become key NHL contributors, even if the odds of striking out on a prospect may be slightly higher this year, especially beyond the first handful of picks.
“I think when you get into that middle part (of the first round), it’s always tough to kind of project,” Allvin said. “You hope your scouts are right when they’re building the list that you’re going to get a player that might drop a little bit. I do think there are several players that we have. . . identified that have potential to be around where we would pick. There are some interesting players.”
The value of middle first-round picks is evident in the Canucks’ prospect pool, which is topped by winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki (drafted 15th in 2022) and defenceman Tom Willander (11th in 2023).
For the first time since 2017, the Canucks own picks in each of the draft’s seven rounds. They have their own second-round pick, and hold the first pick of the third round, 65th overall, due to Allvin’s trade of defenceman Carson Soucy to the New York Rangers in March.
