Here’s who the Vancouver Canucks should send to the draft lottery
The Vancouver Canucks have fallen lower in the draft order for the past three years thanks to the draft lottery. Twice it was then President of Hockey Ops Trevor Linden sitting at the draft lottery watching his team fall lower on the draft board.
Last year, general manager Jim Benning went to the draft lottery, and once again the Vancouver Canucks fell down the board. Keep in mind, even though the team has fallen on the draft board, they drafted Elias Pettersson with the fifth overall pick in 2017, and Quinn Hughes with the seventh overall pick a year later in 2018.
I say, the streak of falling on the draft board ends here. But it may take a change of personnel in order to pull it off. Fans began calling for the team’s mascot Fin, to be sent to the draft lottery instead of a member of management, in a desperate attempt to turn the Canucks luck around.
Well, Linden tried to do it. He was aware that he was 0-2 at the draft lottery, and actually made an attempt to send Fin to the draft lottery. The problem was, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was not having it, and immediately shut down the idea.
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Could you imagine that, though? All those NHL general managers sitting there in their suits, waiting to hear the fates of their team’s drafting hopes — then the camera pans to Fin, sitting there with his facial expression that he is unable to change, sticking out like a sore thumb in his blue and green Canucks jersey.
Maybe they would have given him a bowtie to wear? All kidding aside though, Linden realized it was time for a change of personnel and sent Benning. Again, the Canucks fell down the draft board.
Benning echoed the fact that the team tried to send Fin as well, but he ended up going himself after the NHL shot down the idea.
I like Benning, and anyone who has read my past work will be able to attest to that. But I think there’s a different member of management who should represent the Canucks at the draft lottery this year. That man’s name is Judd Brackett.
Brackett has been a major part of this management group’s success at the draft in recent years. For those that don’t know, Brackett is the Director of Amateur Scouting, and as seen in nearly all of the videos of Benning mic’d up at the draft, Brackett plays a huge part in choosing who the Canucks will select with their picks.
So the man who makes his living at the draft, should represent the Canucks at the draft lottery, no? I’ve seen this becoming a trend on Twitter as of late, with the hashtag, #SendBrackettToTheDraftLotto gaining traction. Just ask this passionate Canucks fan, who has centered his entire Twitter profile around Brackett.
The draft lottery is just eight days away from today.
Obviously, this is all pure speculation and is in no way a knock on Benning, I just think a change of personnel may turn the Canucks luck the other way. Since they won’t let us send our beloved Fin, Brackett may be the next best option.