Vancouver Canucks should avoid drafting Brady Tkachuk

With more attention being paid to the upcoming NHL entry draft, there are a few players Canucks fans should keep an eye on. One of them is Brady Tkachuk. With a rich hockey family lineage, should the Canucks draft him?

As the Vancouver Canucks continue to slide into the DMs of 31st place in the league, the focus of the organization and its fans will shift towards the NHL entry draft.

With the Canucks having a good chance of picking in the top five, people want to know who can be had in that range. Some of the common names mentioned are Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, and Filip Zadina.

These players are the consensus top-three picks in the draft, and if the Canucks are lucky enough to pick that high, then any of those players mentioned above should be selected. All are game-breakers in their own right, and can immediately be slotted into the Vancouver Canucks lineup.

However, what happens if the Canucks pick fourth or lower? There are a plethora of options, a popular one being Brady Tkachuk.

The name “Tkachuk” might send cold shivers down the spine of long time Canucks fans.

Let’s go back in time shall we?

In the 1990 draft, the Canucks took big forward Shawn Antonski (who was invisible in his 183 games played in the league). The very next pick was Keith Tkachuk who went on to play in 1,201 NHL games and scores 538 goals. Just our typical Canuck luck.

Fast forward to 2016, the Canucks select puck moving defenceman Olli Juolevi, a player yet to play an NHL game (but who projects to be a very good player in the future). The very next pick was Matthew Tkachuk, who jumped into the NHL right after the draft and is currently on pace for a 29 goal season as a sophomore. The jury is still out on this one.

With a third Tkachuk on the way, it seems that the hockey gods are giving the Canucks another chance to right the previous “wrongs”.

Who knows what the Canucks might do, but it is the humble opinion of this Canuck Way contributor that the team SHOULD NOT draft Brady Tkachuk.

You might be wondering why I’m suggesting this right after I laid down the history of the Canucks passing on Tkachuk’s. Allow me to explain.

Age and production

To have been eligible for the 2017 NHL draft, you had to be 18 years of age before September 15th, 2017. Brady Tkachuk’s birthday is September 16th, meaning he missed being eligible for that draft by a single day. Though this is technically Tkachuk’s draft season, his production should be held to the standard of a draft + 1 season.

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Tkachuk has spent the year with Boston University of the NCAA, where he has put up 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) in 38 games, which is not bad, but certainly not eye-popping.

Compare him with teammate and late 2017 first rounder Shane Bowers.

Bowers, who is two months older and is held in far less regard in most hockey circles, put up 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in 38 games.

If their production and age are similar, why is Brady regarded as this top flight draft pick and Bowers a mere pawn in the Matt Duchene trade?

Is it because Brady is more of a hitter and has the last name “Tkachuk”? Because in terms of offensive numbers and defensive awareness, these players are on the same wavelength.

Now compare Brady with world junior teammate and fellow draft eligible player Quinn Hughes (who is two months younger).

While Brady is a forward and Hughes is a defenceman, their production the last two years is again extremely similar. Last year, they both played on United States National U-18 team, where Brady put up 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 61 games, while Hughes put up 53 points (10 goals, 43 assists) in 65 games.

This year, Hughes played for the University of Michigan of the NCAA, where he put up 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) in 34 games. Essentially, Hughes was able to match Tkachuk’s offensive output all while playing defence, which comes with a boatload more of responsibility. Yet in most draft rankings, Hughes is firmly below Brady.

I can go on and on making comparisons with more players, but I think you get the point. In terms of age and offensive output, Brady is nothing special.

The Canucks have similar forwards

Another history lesson folks!

In 2014, the Canucks drafted a forward in the first round with a similar draft profile. That forward was none other than the mayor of doghouseville, Jake Virtanen.

The Canucks are still trying to work with him to reach his potential, and so far there hasn’t been much progress.

What made that pick even more of a nightmare is the fact the Canucks passed on more skilled options such as William Nylander and Nikolaj Ehlers. To this day, fans haven’t forgiven the organization for this, even though Jake is from Abbotsford (which the Canucks probably weighted more than hockey sense when doing their scouting evaluation).

Taking Brady Tkachuk over more skilled players might be a similar mistake.

Not only will there be more skilled players available, a healthy chunk of these players are defenceman. And it’s not a well-kept secret that the Canucks need skilled defenceman like the Kardashians need attention.

The Canucks also have prospects Adam Gaudette, Jonah Gadjovich, and Kole Lind, all of whom bring a comparable skill set. Brady would only increase the Canucks odds of finding a heavy top six forward, but it would not address any major needs.

Selecting him would be comparable to putting multiple band aids on a paper cut, all while leaving a severe gash completely uncovered. It’s completely foolish.

The Canucks need defencemen

As mentioned earlier, the Canucks desperately need defenceman. With the exception of Olli Juolevi, the defence pipeline is very dry. The Canucks simply do not have any other defenceman that project into their top 4.

The main strength of this draft is that there a wide variety of defenceman available. We could see as many as 7 defenceman go in the top 10 of this year’s draft.

If there was ever a year to select a defenceman its this one. Quality defenceman are so hard to find, that the only way you can obtain them is by drafting them.

Most contenders today have high-end defenceman that they have drafted and developed on their blueline. If the Canucks even want to contend going forward, they have to draft more defenceman.

The Canucks have plenty of forwards in the pipeline, and you can always find them in free agency or through trade. Sure Brady Tkachuk might become a good scorer, but good scorers are a dime a dozen in this league and can be had for cheap (like Thomas Vanek, for example).

Picking Brady in this draft would be like going to a fish and chips restaurant and ordering chicken strips, it just doesn’t make sense considering what is on the menu.

Conclusion

Is Brady Tkachuk a bad player? Absolutely not. Would he be a good fit on the Canucks? Quite possibly. Is he the player the Canucks need at this moment in time? No.

When the Canucks are on the board to make their first selection, there will be a large faction of who will say that Brady Tkachuk is the best player available. They’ll point to his size, skill, and heritage.

While he certainly has a strong package of attributes, are those enough to outweigh the possibility of drafting a No. 1 or 2 defenceman with high-end offensive skill? Even if Brady might score 10-15 points more than them per season? No!

In today’s game you need players who have the ability to make others around them better. It’s what separates the great players from elite players. The top defencemen available in this draft have that quality.

Next: Vancouver Canucks: Don't give up on your team now

I just don’t see it in Brady Tkachuk. So should the Canucks tempt fate and pass on a Tkachuk for a third time? I’m willing to take that chance.

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