Round 7 – 205th Overall
Original Pick: D Sawyer Hannay
New Pick: D Zach Trotman (210th to BOS)
Honorable Mentions: None
As said before, the Canucks didn’t have it easy with only late picks in the 2010 draft. However, it is possible to find NHL players even with the final picks of a given draft. The Nashville Predators did it with Patric Hornqvist in 2005, the Canucks might have done it with Tate Olson in 2015, and the Boston Bruins did it in 2010.
Zach Trotman is a big two-way defenseman who has yet to play a full season in the NHL. But, he looks like a present and future NHL player, as opposed to the Canucks’ 205th pick, Sawyer Hannay. Hannay, a 6-foot-4 blue liner, was never more than a defensive defenseman. But even in that regard, there have always been better players.
After his QMJHL career, he started the 2013-14 season in the ECHL before switching to the CIS, playing for St. Thomas University. His 118 penalty minutes in 25 games last season show what kind of player he is and where he will be able to go with that. Few CIS players ever turn pro, and Hannay is likely preparing for a life after hockey rather than for a professional career.
Meanwhile, Zach Trotman is a full-time NHL player for the Bruins. He only played in 38 games in 2015-16, so far from a full season, without injuries. Trotman was simply a healthy scratch for more than a handful of games. As the Bruins want to shake up their defense, Trotman could certainly get a bigger shot next season. At 25 years old, he still has his best years ahead of him.