Vancouver Canucks: Exploring Hot Takes Part III

Here we go, I said they would get hotter as they go and this one is definitely hot. Bo Horvat is my pick to be the next captain, but this article is about the Canucks potentially not making  him captain. Why? Maybe because they are using him as a trade chip to secure Jack Hughes.

I’m not a fan of trading the future captain of the Vancouver Canucks ,but I am a fan of drafting the next great number one draft pick that would make an immediate impact.

The team would have one heck of a shake up if this deal were to go down. Will it go down, I’m not so sure it will but this is my last “Silly Season” article so I am going to explore this road anyways. Stay with me here folks.

There are many reasons why Bo Horvat hasn’t been named the captain of this team yet. I want to explore the hot take that Horvat could be involved in a trade at the 2019 NHL entry draft that would see the Canucks make a move to acquire the first overall pick in the draft and select the almost generational talent, Jack Hughes.

The 2019 draft is here in Vancouver, and it’ll more than likely add another major piece to the Canucks as they move forward towards competing for the Stanley Cup.

The Canucks drafted defenceman Quinn Hughes this year, and we can only dream that they’ll win the 2019 draft lottery and can select younger brother Jack. It’s a match made in hockey heaven, Quinn and Jack look great together on a power play. They’d have had the opportunity to play alongside one another on the junior national teams, too.

Drafting Jack

Jack Hughes is the real deal, currently being the standout number one prospect in the 2019 draft class, one that is loaded at the top end with talent such as Kaapo Kakko, Dylan Cozens, Bowen Byram, Alex Newhook, Alex Turcotte, Kirby Dach, Philip Broberg and Vasili Podkolzin to name a few.

This is where it gets me to Horvat, let’s say after the Canucks fall in this year’s draft lottery that they are going to select eighth overall. They would be drafting a great player, but would making a move that included sending the eighth overall pick and Bo Horvat to whoever won the Jack Hughes lottery be a better move long-term?

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It’s so hard to say, because drafting one of those players I mentioned prior would be great for the franchise.

Securing up another defence spot with a Bowen Byram or Philip Broberg is another great move for this team who still needs to add to their defencemen prospect pool.

But Jack Hughes has what a lot of these new age superstars have, and that is not only the ability to be an amazing skater, but to also have the hands to keep up with the next level skating.

Jack and Quinn would be ecstatic to play alongside each other on a power play unit. If the Canucks had Elias Pettersson and Jack Hughes as their top two centres, it would at least give the chance to rival some of the top centre pairings in the NHL as they develop into perennial superstars.

Captain Bo to go?

Blake Price of TSN1040’s Sekeres and Price has floated this idea, mentioning that having two brothers playing on the same team would keep them happy for a very long time.

Horvat has zero trade protection in his contract so, the option is there for management to move him. It’s very strange to me how a guys like Brandon Sutter, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel have at least some sort of modified no-trade clause in their contract, but not Horvat.

Could the Canucks really trade Horvat is the real question, since fans have fallen in love with him. He’s grown more as a player every year since they drafted him in 2013. Horvat is most Canuck fans’ pick to be to next captain, so I wanted to get it out there and see what percentage of people would be for this proposed trade.

I was surprised by the results quite a bit.  I thought it was ludicrous to believe that Canuck fans on Twitter would be in for trading Horvat. But this situation makes it very different, as the Canucks would add the brother of Quinn Hughes.

Most fans agree that it would be better to keep Horvat and add another top-10 pick in the 2019 draft, and that’s where I agree. It would take a team that is close to competing for a Stanley Cup to want to make the trade for Horvat anyways. That means it takes a team that is probably just out of the playoffs, wins the draft lottery and is currently on the rise that would want to add Horvat and a top 10-pick instead of the highly touted Jack Hughes.

There’s a lot happening there if we think this deal could even get close to taking place.

What are the chances of this happening?

My guess? 1.6 percent.

I don’t think this is a likely situation to happen, it’s a take that is out there and I do like discussing it with those who follow the Canucks because there are a lot of different opinions on this situation.

But there is so much that needs to happen to even make this a possibility. The Canucks are surely interested in drafting Jack Hughes, and with the draft here in Vancouver, it would certainly entice general manager Jim Benning to make a bit of a splash. However, it seems to be a reach that I can’t quite make.

It’s not impossible that the Canucks make a move to grab Jack Hughes in the 2019 draft, but honestly, we probably have a better chance of winning the draft lottery than making a trade for the first overall pick.

So let’s just win the draft lottery, keep Horvat and add Jack Hughes.