Vancouver Canucks Could Pursue 3rd Overall Pick

The Vancouver Canucks could aim at a big trade to get into the draft position they originally owned.

The Vancouver Canucks admittedly have the need of a game-breaker. Lately, Canucks fans have had their sights set on their beloved team drafting either Pierre-Luc Dubois or Matthew Tkachuk with the fifth-overall selection at this year’s draft, but what if there’s a possibility of trading up and sliding into the top-three selections (you know, where they should’ve been).

TSN’s Darren Dreger appeared on Winnipeg’s TSN 1290 yesterday afternoon and here’s what he had to say, as transcribed by Chris Nichols:

“I know that there are aggressive offers being made for the Blue Jackets’ third pick overall. I don’t believe the Blue Jackets are even remotely close to considering moving that pick, but they have to listen, right?”

Might GM Jim Benning be among the teams aggressively pursuing that pick? Is it even a good idea? If Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine indeed go first and second, as expected, then the third-overall selection presumably nets Jesse Puljujarvi. We’ve all heard about how he’s a special player.

Seems like Columbus is aware of that and will use it to their advantage in any potential deal:

“They’re developing the right way. But they’re not there yet. And so because of that, they’re just doing due diligence and being responsible and listening. But it would take an unbelieveable deal for Jarmo Kekalainen to move the third pick overall.”

Unbelievable deals are the types of deals which the Canucks don’t have the assets to pull off.

GM Jim Benning seems to want to draft a player who will take over the top-line centre role from Henrik Sedin in the near future. The Canucks also need to add a scoring winger in free agency or via a trade to play with the Sedins and inject more offense into the team. Dubois might be that player for the Canucks but the Montreal Canadiens are apparently sweet on him and a scary good center in Logan Brown sits lower down the draft board.

Maybe the Canucks should think about giving Montreal what it wants, acquiring some assets from them (Alex Galchenyuk? Brendan Gallagher?) and then drafting Logan Brown.

That may still happen, but now that the Jackets are listening, the Canucks could float something their way. But what would it take?

TRADE OPTION

Enough to convince the Jackets to make the trade? Probably not but at fifth overall they will still select a very, very good foward who will become a nice addition to their youth movement. More importantly, Brock Boeser looks like an absolute stud.

Come on, look at this release:

That’s what it would take, at the bare minimum. In all likelihood, the Canucks would have to add more to the deal then that — maybe even a prospect and another pick. If Puljujarvi really is as special as every analyst from here to Finland claims, then it stands to reason that the Canucks will have to give up at least one of the special players from their system.