Vancouver Canucks: 33rd overall pick may be more important to rebuild than 5th
By Jeff Godley
Most of the focus is on the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round pick, but what they do with the 33rd pick might prove even more important.
The Vancouver Canucks endured another terrible season and finished second-last in the league. And it still wasn’t enough to win a top-three pick in the draft.
So instead, they’ll select fifth overall for the second year in a row. They’ll miss out on the likes of Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier. But they will still be able to fill their need of a skilled center or high-end defenseman.
With so little consensus about who should be ranked where in the top 10, this is also a chance for super-scout Jim Benning to prove his mettle.
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There’s an added benefit to their 29th-place finish, and that is getting to pick early in later rounds. Of course, this advantage will be more valuable higher in the draft — so the Canucks’ second-round pick could be the most important selection they make.
First of all, it’s nice that Vancouver still has their second-round pick. Benning traded away their second pick in last two drafts. In 2015, it went to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Sven Baertschi. The Swiss winger has put up 65 points in 140 game with the Canucks, making that trade look just fine.
In 2016, though, they sent their second-round pick to the Florida Panthers (along with Jared McCann) in exchange for Erik Gudbranson. That trade has not worked out quite as well.
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This year, it looks like Benning will keep the Canucks second-round pick for himself. And that’s good news.
Benning’s picks in the late-first/early-second round
Picks in the 20-40 range are a great opportunity to steal a player whom other teams pass on. And the Canucks’ GM has done just that on a couple of occasions.
Benning took over just before the 2014 Draft. After selecting twice in the first round (Jake Virtanen and the aforementioned McCann), they got another chance at no. 36. They used that pick on Thatcher Demko.
Taking Demko is looking more and more like a steal. Not only did 29 other teams pass on him, Demko was not even the first goaltender taken. The Calgary Flames selected goalie Mason McDonald 34th overall.
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Vancouver made the playoffs the next season, and thus ended up picking near the end of the first round. At no. 23, Benning selected Brock Boeser, another player who looks like a home run.
The Canucks picked in the bottom third of the first round for several years before Benning took over. And the only one of those prospects who is currently playing for the Canucks is Brendan Gaunce. So, the fact that Benning was able to catch lightning in a bottle twice in a row is to his credit.
The current GM takes criticism — often well-deserved — for numerous things. But two of his picks in the 20-40 range of the draft have been home runs. In order to move the rebuild along, he’ll need to do that again with pick 33 in the 2017 draft.
It also bodes well that the Canucks will probably get two cracks at the second round. The Columbus Blue Jackets have to surrender a second-rounder to Vancouver either this year or next. Since they finished with the fourth-best record in the NHL this season, it’s almost a given that pick will come this year.
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A lot hinges on these two picks. The Vancouver Canucks need to get as many future NHLers as they can, as fast as they can. There will be plenty of good players to choose from at no. 5. But they also need to unearth some more diamonds in the rough, like Boeser and Demko, in the second round. That could make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful rebuild.
No pressure, Jim.