Round 6 – 173rd Overall
Original Pick: G Joe Cannata
New Pick: F Erik Haula (182nd to MIN)
Honorable Mentions: RW Tyler Randell (176th to BOS), W Jordan Nolan (186th to LAK)
In the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected goaltender Joe Cannata. The 26-year-old just played his second full AHL season for the Utica Comets and there is still a chance for him to become an NHL backup one day. His window is slowly starting to close, goalies tend to hit their prime later than skaters, closer to 30.
Instead, the Canucks could have had another forward similar to Marcus Kruger. Erik Haula, from Sweden’s rival country Finland, is a solid bottom-six forward for the Minnesota Wild. He can play at center or on the wing and, although he has been part of recent trade rumors, he is a solid NHL player. Unlike Cannata and most other players picked in the sixth round of 2009.
Jordan Nolan of the Los Angeles Kings and Tyler Randell of the Boston Bruins were the other options. Nolan has the longest career of the three so far, having played in 276 NHL games. He is also a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Kings, but he doesn’t produce nearly as much offense as Haula. Randell, the third option, is just starting to break into the league and might not stick around for long.
Next: Round 7