There was heartbreak in the city of Vancouver on Tuesday, as the Canucks, after finishing a league-worst 58 points during the regular season, fell to third overall in the NHL Draft, with the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting first and the San Jose Sharks picking second overall.
That being said, finishing last is only the first step. You still need luck on your side to win the draft lottery. Entering the lottery with the highest odds at 18.5%, the Canucks still were at an over 80% chance to not win the first overall pick.
And that is exactly what went down. The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to hop their way from 5th to 1st, and the San Jose Sharks leaped from 9th best odds to claim the 2nd overall pick.
This is, however, still the highest position the Vancouver Canucks have drafted at since selecting the Sedin twins 2nd and 3rd overall in 1999. And so with great disappointment in losing the draft lottery, 3rd overall still provides a great opportunity to select an excellent player.
Who will the Canucks draft at 3?
It’s hard to say who the Canucks will have the opportunity to take with their 3rd overall selection, as that will greatly depend on the teams ahead of them. Heck, both Toronto and San Jose do not necessarily NEED their pick to be top 2, and could potentially look to trade down. What would a trade-up for the Canucks look like? We’ll speculate on that another time. For now, let’s assume the Canucks will select 3rd.
The top order of the draft is certainly up for some debate. The top two are for the most part, locked in to Canadian winger Gavin McKenna and Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg. Gavin McKenna has been the consensus number 1 pick for almost 3 years, until his struggles after joining the NCAA rose doubt amongst scouts. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg’s draft stock has only been going up and up.
That being said, the Maple Leafs, who hold the first overall pick, are unlikely to overthink things.
With the first overall pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs select, from the Pennsylvania State University, Gavin McKenna
Here is where things get very interesting for the Canucks. The San Jose Sharks are now on the clock, and with a cupboard overflowing with Grade A forward talent, the Sharks may just decide to reach for a Defenceman in Chase Reid.
And the Canucks select?
This would leave Vancouver with an interesting dilemma. Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg? Or the best Centreman in the draft, Caleb Malhotra, the son of former Canuck and current head of the Abbotsford Canucks, Manny Malhotra.
To me the answer is simple. Ivar Stenberg is an elite talent, and one who, in another draft class, could be the consensus first overall pick. Adding his skill to your roster, lined up alongside Swedish centreman Elias Pettersson, and trained and influenced by Swedish Canucks legends Henrik and Daniel Sedin, is just a no brainer.
Stenberg has the potential to be the greatest winger to play for the Canucks since Pavel Bure. An elite offensive talent who still shows great skill in his own zone. Can play all situations, QB a powerplay, and be a point per game+ player every season.
And so, even though the luck of the draw eludes Vancouver, there is still an opportunity at 3rd overall to select a very promising young talent. June 26th in Buffalo will reveal what course the Canucks future is heading.
