Vancouver Canucks Offseason Survival Guide: June Edition
By David Joun
2016 NHL Entry Draft: The Cauldron of Drama
It seems that every year, the Vancouver Canucks make a living out of becoming the most talked-about franchise at the NHL Entry Draft. They also make a living out of being hated by one-half of their fan base.
In 2015, it was Eddie Lack. In 2014, it was Ryan Kesler, Derek Dorsett, and Jason Garrison. In 2013, it was Cory Schneider. Think the Canucks are done this year on the trade front? Forget it:
"So I would suspect they’ll want to continue to be active, and continue to build their blueline, and try and find some insulation beyond the Sedins up front, and obviously that brass can move forward some of that with the pick that they got. (Bob McKenzie, TSN1040)"
Think the Canucks would like to add a couple more draft picks in the top 100. Conventionally speaking, the Canucks would most likely want to move Alex Burrows even if it requires them to retain salary.
The Canucks had the chance, at the mercy of the Columbus Blue Jackets, to be rewarded the John Tortorella Compensation second-round pick. The Blue Jackets have deferred the pick to a later year, however. That makes the high second round pick that was sent to Florida alongside Jared McCann that much more difficult to swallow.
More Bad News
The Vancouver Canucks chose not to sign 2014 draft pick Kyle Pettit to a pro contract. The two-way centerman played for OHL’s Erie Otters who were defeated by Matthew Tkachuk and the London Knights in the OHL finals. Pettit had 21 points in 58 regular season games and six points in 13 playoff games.
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June 1st was the deadline to sign him as well as any other 2014 selections.
Despite being a sixth-round pick, I thought that Pettit had done enough to earn himself a pro contract. His faceoff prowess is among the top centermen of the OHL and he was named among the top penalty killers, too.
Pettit will look to be re-drafted on June 24th, when the First Niagara Center will host the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. I would not be surprised if he is drafted by another team in the seventh round as a low-risk medium-reward pick.
There is another bad news for the Canucks and the rest of the league not including the Arizona Coyotes.
With the Arizona Coyotes choosing not to sign their 23rd-overall pick of the 2014 draft to a pro contract, center Connor Bleackley will be draft eligible once again. And since he was a former first-round pick, the Coyotes will receive a compensatory second-round pick at this year’s draft.
The Coyotes will have the 53rd-overall selection at this year’s draft, which bumps everyone else down a slot. The Canucks now have the following picks at this year’s Entry Draft:
Round One — #5 Overall
Round Three — #64 Overall
Round Five — #140 Overall (from FLA, from NYI)
Round Six — #154 Overall
Round Seven — #184 Overall
Round Seven — #194 Overall (from CAR)
Meanwhile, the Scouting Combine is taking place in Buffalo.
Final Verdict: Tkachuk over Dubois?
In conclusion, the jury is still out on if the spectacular Memorial Cup performance has propelled Matthew Tkachuk over Pierre-Luc Dubois.
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Though Dubois was named the top CHL prospect of the year and the NHL Central Scouting ranked Dubois the top North American Skater over Tkachuk, many see Tkachuk now as the number four pick of the draft.
Should the Canucks draft Tkachuk over Dubois should both stay available at the number five spot? Jim Benning and the scouting bureau will look to answer that in the next 21 days leading up to the draft.
At the end of the day, it may be a needless worry. With the Edmonton Oilers shipping their fourth-overall pick big time, the Canucks are likely going to have to select the forward who doesn’t get drafted at number four.
As for trading the fifth-overall pick, unless it is for a young star or a trade up the board, the Canucks should avoid touching it altogether. By a young star player I mean a player of, let’s say, Tyler Seguin‘s calibre. And no, I did not just suggest a trade for Seguin.
But what I suggest that Jim Benning do, is to call the aforementioned Columbus Blue Jackets and seeing if they have Tkachuk over Jesse Puljujarvi by chance. If so, it would be worth trading up to the number four spot.
If not, I am asking as to how much the Jackets want if they were to trade two spots down.
Next: TRADE PROPOSAL: A Luca Sbisa Edition
The month of June is going to be a crazy one. Draft day alone should be enough to make our heads spin with hockey. The Canucks, however, are heavily involved in the free agent market as well as the NHL coaching vacancies.